


Don't Speak

by cecilysmith



Series: Seeing Scarlet [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-03-28 21:48:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 49,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3870925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecilysmith/pseuds/cecilysmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scarlet Vision fluff!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unresolved Tension

_"D'you think they'll get..." Tony trailed off. "Sexual?"_

_"Does Vision even have a dick?" Clint asked no one in particular._

_"I think you should just leave them alone." Steve sighed._

Wanda was seeing the memory in Steve's head. Vision had insisted that it wasn't good to eavesdrop, if you could call it eavesdropping. Wanda had argued that they were talking about her, so it was fine.

"They were talking about me too, and I'm not listening in." Vision insisted. 

Wanda didn't often talk with Vision. They mostly _thought_. With her powers, they could communicate through thoughts, which was useful. Often, Wanda just listened to Vision's thoughts. His mind was so vast and complicated, she could listen forever.

One day, all of the Avengers were called in for a meeting. She tried to sit as far away as she could from everyone else, but Vision wouldn't have it.

_Come on_ , he thought, _you've got to talk to them_.

_I know_. She moved, but still sat close to Vision. It was Steve who had called the meeting, apparently. Wasn't it only Fury or Coulson who could call a meeting?

"There seems to be some," Steve paused, searching for the right words, "unresolved tension here." Wanda grinned. She knew this was mainly directed at her. 

Vision saw her grinning. _You should not be happy about that_ , he thought.

_But I am_. She waited for someone to speak. 

"Like we haven't noticed." Clint muttered. _He_ was Wanda's biggest issue. It was his fault that Pietro was dead, and then he had the audacity to name his child Nathaniel _Pietro_ Barton.

Wanda also didn't get along well with everyone else. But Barton was the biggest problem.

The other problem was Bruce and Natasha, who had recently broken up. _Broken up_ didn't really seem like the right wording, but she didn't know what else to call it. They had fallen out of love as quickly as they had fallen in it.

Steve wasn't going to address Natasha and Bruce. No one knew why they had split apart, and neither of them were ready to tell. So he would most likely talk about Wanda without explicitly saying her name.

Or maybe he would be explicit about it.

"Wanda." Steve began. She shivered. She didn't like them caling her by her first name- it felt too informal.

"Yes?" She said out loud. To Vision, she thought, _here we go_.

He looked uncomfortable. "We have noticed you aren't very... friendly."

"And?" She tried to make her voice sound confident.

"We feel like you should try to be more open. Especially with," he paused, "Clint." He said the name delicately, like saying it too loud would set off a bomb.

It might. Maybe Wanda would make him see his friend Bucky falling off the train again...

_Wanda_. Vision pulled her out of her thoughts. 

"I'm not going to be friendly to Barton." Wanda hissed. 

"But everyone else?" Steve sounded hopeful. She felt sorry for wanting him to have to relive Bucky's almost-death. He looked so innocent in that moment.

"I think," Vision spoke up, "that we should begin to be kinder to her." Wanda thought for a moment. No one was ever rude to her, but they tended to avoid her. Any interaction never lasted more than a few minutes.

Everyone was silent for a few moments. "I guess we should." It was Natasha. Natasha didn't particularly like Wanda, but she was never unkind.

"Fine." Tony grunted. He looked reluctant.

"Yeah." Sam Wilson, Falcon, seemed enthusiastic. Sam was nice, but Wanda didn't particularly like him.

Bruce grunted in what everyone assumed to be agreement.

"I will attempt." Thor announced. Thor was strange and that was that.

Slowly, everyone else nodded or spoke or agreed. "Wanda?" Steve asked. He had that hopeful look on again. How was she supposed to say no?

_Come on_ , Vision encouraged her.

"Fine." Wanda sighed. She was completely okay with interacting with these people only for missions and training. Now she had to talk to them. At least she could still ignore _Barton_.

There was some other talking going on in the meeting, but Wanda was only thinking with Vision. 

_Don't you think we should be listening, Wanda?_

_No._

_It could be important._

_Then you listen and talk to me at the same time, since you can._

_Okay._

_I love you._

There was a pause _. I... I love you too._

Wanda really did love Vision. She was sure he loved her too, but he was having trouble with his human feelings. He wasn't sure what love really meant, but he knew he felt it for her. Wanda could always be sure of Vision: she could see his head. She could see in everyone's heads.

_Wanda?_

_Yes?_

_I think you should think about forgiving Agent Barton._

Wanda cast a sidelong glance at him. _Oh_. She couldn't... maybe she would just look into his mind to see what he felt about it. Yes, that was good.

The meeting came to a close. She had to deal with talking to the irritating Avengers now.

Wait, she was an Avenger. Sigh. Why'd she agree to this?


	2. Lunch.

_Vision._

_Wanda?_

_Where do I sit?_

The dread hour was nigh. Lunch. It was at this time everyone shared stories and made small talk and laughed and did everything Wanda knew nothing about.

How about this, we arrive early, and instead of choosing someone to sit with, someone will have to sit with us?

Good idea.

Why had she agreed to be friendly? Being cold had been so much easier. She didn't know how to be friendly. She had only ever been friendly with two people, Vision and Pietro. And Pietro was dead, all thanks to Barton. Her fingertips blazed scarlet.

 _Vision? Let's go_. The two stood up from the couch in one of the various sitting rooms in the building. Wanda felt incredibly loud while she walked beside Vision, whose steps were silent and graceful.

The lunch room - was it called a cafeteria? - was empty. Vision guided her to a table in the very middle of the room.

_Vision? Why must we go here?_

_You know, Wanda._

She did know, but she didn't like it.

Rhodes and Wilson were the first to arrive. They sat on the other side of Vision, a small distance away. Steve came next. He sat across from Wanda. Sigh. Natasha sat right beside Wanda. Out of all of them, Natasha was probably the best.

Tony sat beside Steve. Wanda had been under the impression he went the the Stark tower to eat. She looked into his mind. He just wanted to see how this lunch hour would go. Hmph.

Bruce, Clint, and Thor were last. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

Tony spoke first.

"Vision," he began, "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Vision asked. Oh, great. He was asking _that_ question. He should know! He created Vision.

"Do you, er," Tony was having a hard time getting it out, "have a dick?"

Vision blinked. He looked confused. Surprised was a better word. "No, Mr Stark. But you would know, no? You created me." Wanda snickered.

"So you and Wanda...?" Clint trailed off. 

"No, Agent Barton."

Steve sighed. "Are you done?"

"Yes." Clint replied. 

Everyone launched into animated conversation. Wanda had no idea what to do.

_Just do what they do, Wanda._

_Vision._ In her mind, it was a sigh _. How?_

_Ask them about what you missed when you were gone._

_Okay._

"Wanda?" Steve asked. His voice was polite. Too formal.

"What did I miss when I was... gone?" She asked. She put on a smile and tried to be convincing. Fake it till you make it, right?

Natasha glanced over at her. "Oh, a lot. Well, not that much, but still a lot."

Rhodes was in on it now. "Frozen."

Everyone groaned except for Wanda and Vision. Quickly, Vision explained.

_Frozen is a popular Disney film. It has many songs which many people enjoy mocking._

_Okay._

Sam Wilson grinned. He began to sing softly. "Let it go, let it go..."

Clint snorted. "Shut up. I hear enough of that at home with Lila and Cooper."

"Oh yeah, with your quaint little farm and your secret undercover family." Rhodes laughed.

"How long has it been? It's not a secret any more!" Clint cried exasperatedly.

Suddenly, the conversation became white noise. Wanda began hearing their _thoughts_. Now that she had opened up to them, she had also opened her mind to theirs.

Steve was enjoying himself. There wasn't much going on in his mind at the moment, but if she delved into his memories... No. She wouldn't. Natasha's thoughts became louder now. She was thinking about what movies to show Wanda and doing her best to ignore Banner. Wanda realized she could easily find out what happened between them. Maybe later.

Rhodes and Banner were listening intently to a story Clint was telling about Nathaniel, his baby. Nathaniel _Pietro_. She didn't care about the story. She just really didn't want to hear their thoughts.

Thor was concentrated on his food. Clint was last. Other than his story, tucked away were thoughts of guilt and apprehension. He was apprehensive about being around her. She didn'lt know what to think. Being feared was being powerful, but did she want to be feared? She had found a group where she wasn't the freak. Well, she wasn't the only freak here.

_Vision._

_Yes, Wanda?_

_I can hear their thoughts._ She shivered.

_And this is involuntary?_

_Yes. I don't want to hear them, but their thoughts... they're so loud._

_Concentrate on my mind. I'll think of... calming things._

_Okay._

Vision's mind was quiet and calm. He was thinking of of clouds floating by on a windy day. She watched the clouds, shutting everything else out.

 _Thank you_. 

Vision smiled at her.

"Are we missing something?" Thor demanded. She had forgotten the others didn'lt know they could communicate in their minds.

"No." Vision replied. The noise, the thoughts were returning. She concentrated on him, on the clouds...

"Wanda, you need to watch the Hunger Games." Natasha declared.

"Isn't it a little violent?" Steve said skeptically. 

"I don't mind." Steve's thoughts were extremely loud now. _"Will it remind her of Pietro? Is it too violent?"_

"See?" Natasha cried.

 _Will it remind me of Pietro?_ She asked Vision silently _._

 _I do not think so, Wanda._  

"Let's watch it tonight." Steve suggested reluctantly. 

"Okay." Wanda agreed. Lunch was almost over, thankfully. She spent the rest of it absorbed in Vision's mind. He wasn't thinking of clouds anymore, but still his mind was calming. He was thinking about things to experience. In his mind, she saw a huge expanse of water. The ocean. It was green and blue and transparent in the sunlight. She also saw snow. She'd seen snow plenty before, but this was breathtakingly beautiful: crisp white snow covering rolling hills and capping mountains. The sun made the snow sparkle. It looked like thousands of tiny diamonds had fallen instead of flakes of snow.

After lunch, she said to Vision, simply:

 _Thank you_.


	3. People are Complicated

Wanda finally decided to look into Clint's head. They were watching the Hunger Games in an hour or two, so she told herself it was now or never.

He was sitting on one of the sitting rooms, watching television. She had to be close to him, but she really didn't want to go in, so she sat outide, beside the door. Vision sat beside her.

She went past the mindless _stuff_ he was getting from the TV, into his memories and his emotions. She gasped. She found an image of Pietro, dead on the ground... In Clint's memory, she was crouched beside him, sobbing. She pushed away the horrifying image. She found guilt. At least he was guilty. Wanda was partly glad he'd been through a fraction of the Hell she'd had to get through without her best friend, her brother.

But it was such a huge amount of guilt and sadness and she realized how many times he had almost said sorry to her, then decided against it. He thought it would just sprinkle salt on the wound. It would have.

She frowned. She should forgive him. He would almost rather have died instead of Pietro. Why? the answer lay in front of her. He almost wished he had died instead because of Wanda. For a moment, she found herself thinking, _why almost_? She was horrified with herself. It was obvious. His family. Maybe that was a little bit of the reason Pietro saved him. Clint had a child with him who he was trying to rescue, but he also had children of his own to return to. 

She took a deep breath. She wanted to talk out loud with Vision. She wanted to choose her words carefully, instead of opening up all of her thoughts to him.

"Vision?" She asked. Her voice sounded hesitant.

"Yes, Wanda?" He was concerned for her. She could hear it in his every word.

"I looked into Barton's mind." She paused thoughtfully. "He deserves forgiveness."

"Then you should forgive him." Vision replied. He sounded very sure.

She glanced at him reluctantly. "Will... will you come with me?"

"Of course." he reassured her.

She opened the door slowly. Clint glanced up in surprise, and he was even more surprised to see _her_ of all people.

"Wanda?" His voice was not strong and confident as she had imagined it would be. He felt as nervous and apprehensive as she did.

"Barton... I- I forgive you." Her voice was uneven. Vision held her hand reassuringly.

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I truly am-"

"I know, Barton." She interrupted. "I saw your mind- all the guilt..."

He looked uncomfortable that she had looked into his mind, but mostly relieved. She nodded curtly at him and left.

Vision and Wanda walked down the hallway to nowhere in particular.

_Vision?_

_Yes, Wanda?_

_Thanks for being there._

_I'm always here for you, Wanda._


	4. Love

"Come on, love." Vision beckoned Wanda to the lunch room.

It had been a few days since they watched the Hunger Games. It had been a good movie.

Vision had started calling Wanda 'love' the day after the movie. She didn't mind it. Liked it, even. No one had mentioned it yet, but it was bound to come up soon.

They were late. Everyone else was there, and even in the last few days, she was less tense and more friendly.

"Vision." Tony began. "I did not know you were one for nicknames."

Vision was confused for a moment, but he finally realized. "Oh. I don't know." He shrugged.

"Love'? Do you know what love is? You're a robot." Tony cried.

Vision looked hurt.

"Shut up, Stark." Wanda hissed.

"Don't be mean, Tony." Steve said, more kindly then Wanda had.

"Steve, shut up, love." He seemed to realize what he said. "Vision! You're rubbing off on me!" His face was tomato red. 

"Okay, love." Clint said it deliberately to Tony. 

"I know what love is." Vision said quietly. He looked at Wanda, pained.

_I know you do._

_I love you, Wanda._

_And I you._

"Why do you guys always do that?" Rhodes demanded. He was staring at them with analytical eyes.

"What?" Wanda asked. Surely they hadn't found out about their secret means of communication?

"You get these blank looks in your eyes at the same time and you look like you're having a conversation, because you're smiling and all that, but you're always so _silent_." He explained. He looked genuinely confused.

So that's what it looked like on the outside. "Maybe you can figure it out on your own." She grinned.

 _You sure, love?_ Vision asked her. She nodded.

Tony seemed to be lost in thought. He was trying to figure out what was going on. Wanda could see his thought process. He would work it out within minutes. Maybe he'd get distracted.

Clint was good distraction. "What are you thinking so hard about, love?"

Tony glowered. "Must I bear this cross forever?"

Steve burst out laughing. "Okay, love."

Vision glanced over at her. _Are they mocking my nickname for you, or Tony?_

Vision was very concerned. It made Wanda smile _. No, they're mocking Tony._

 _Okay._ He was relieved _._

"They're doing it again!" Wilson hissed exasperatedly.

"Hold on, I've almost got it." Tony said briskly.

The rest of the team waited impatiently for Tony to come up with the solution while Wanda played mind games with him. She'd distract him for a few moments so he'd lose his train of thought, or make him see the strangest images. She made him see himself kissing Ultron. He bit his lip when that happened. Maybe he was worried he was repressing some feelings. Wanda grinned, but it was a small grin. She wouldn't want Tony to find out there was nothing awfully wrong with him.

Finally, after about ten minutes, he looked up. 

"Have you figured it out?" Natasha demanded. Traitor. She was supposed to be Wanda's friend. Natasha glanced apologetically at Wanda and shrugged.

"They're communicating with their minds. She can project her thoughts to him, and with her help and the stone, he can project his thoughts to her." Tony explained. 

"Oh." Rhodes grunted. He had probably expected something cooler.

She could project her thoughts to Rhodes if she wanted to.

_Rhodes?_

He looked up in surprise.

She could project her thoughts to all of them if she wanted.

 _I can get into all of your heads_.

All their reactions were pretty similar, muted surprise. She suspected that they had all assumed that, but hadn't really expected her to act on it.

Natasha looked flustered. That was a first. "You can see... all of our secrets?" She said slowly. There was fear in her eyes. The Red Room. Wanda didn't know anything about the Red Room. She knew only that it haunted Natasha whenever she closed her eyes.

"I can, but I don't. I'm not mean." She reassured them. Everyone looked significantly calmer.

All of their thoughts were louder than ever. Maybe she shouldn't have opened her mind so far to them. Oh well, it was bound to happen someday.

Suddenly, she leaned in to Vision. They were louder, louder, louder. They were thinking about her, and that amplified the sound by a thousand-

She clutched her ears. "Vision." She whispered hoarsely. If she could just hold on to him, concentrate on him...

"Wanda." He reassured her. She hung onto his mind, trying to block out the rest. He was showing her clouds again. White, fluffy clouds floating lazily across the vast blue sky. The clouds swayed with the breeze rhythmically. She took a deep breath. If she could just keep that image forever... No, she needed him. Though her powers were great, they made her mind unstable. She needed a rock, an anchor to keep her from drifting. Before, it had been Pietro. Now she had Vision.

After a long time, a voice spoke up. "Wanda?" It was Vision, her Vision... "Wanda?"

"Hm?" She grunted drowsily. She had almost fallen asleep.

"Come on, love, you've got to tell them what happened." He answered, smoothing back her hair.

"Why can't you?" She murmured.

"You need to." He replied. She looked into his mind. He was worried that if she didn't stay in the real world, outside of his mind, she would rely on him too much. No, it wasn't codependency, she wanted to tell him. She could keep their thoughts out on her own. But it was so much easier when he was there...

She hesitated. "Alright." She paused, wondering how to explain. "When I open up my mind to all of you, your minds open up to mine." She looked up at Vision, who nodded encouragingly. "I can hear your thoughts, involuntarily. I don't listen. It's like... White noise. It's like having the static from a television blasting in your ears. Anyway, it was really, really loud just now."

"And why does Vision help?" Natasha's voice was gentle, more curious than accusatory. 

"His mind is... calm. His is controlled and calm and beautiful and yours are chaotic and loud." She explained. A mind was hard to describe. She hoped they got it.

There was a long silence.

Tony looked indignant. "Did you just call his mind _beautiful_? And mine _chaotic_?"

Clint sighed. "Shut up, love. Do us all a favour."

* * *

 

After that, everyone called Tony 'love'.


	5. But I Thought...?

"Tony." Clint knew he was betraying his other friends, Vision and Wanda, by telling this to Tony.

"What?" Tony snapped. His voice was staticky over the phone. He didn't like being interrupted. "I'm busy!"

Clint rolled his eyes. "It's about _Vision_. And _Wanda_. Vision and Wanda." 

Tony sounded much more interested. Wanda's relationship with the android had always intrigued him. "Go on."

"Well, I went in to the living room. To watch TV, y'know. Well, I wanted to go into the living room. Remember how Wanda's room is close to it?" Clint began.

Tony was very interested now. "Aaaand?"

"I saw them."

"Doing what?" Tony pressed eagerly.

"A little eager, are we?" Clint chuckled. "She was sort of... sprawled out on top of him. His cape was on top of her, but other than that, she seemed to be... in the nude. They weren't even doing anything. Just lying there."

There was a silence. "Hmm. Probably doing something in their minds. Again."

"But I thought...?"

"I don't know. It's intimate, I guess."

"Shit! Shit shit shit!" Clint hissed. He hung up.

***

"Agent Barton?" Vision asked. Wanda felt the familiar warmth of her magic in her hands.

"Agent Barton?" Wanda repeated, more pointedly.

"Agent Barton?" Natasha appeared beside Wanda. The two had formed a friendship.

"Ugh." Clint groaned. Wanda raised her hand, watching as the scarlet clouds moved lethargically toward Clint. "What is that?" He cried.

Natasha grinned. "You'll see."

Wanda knew it would make him forget everything he saw, and it would also make him immobile for a few hours. "Good luck." She said lazily as he fell to he ground. She turned to Vision and Natasha. "He told Tony."

Natasha laughed. "I've got just the thing."

***

Natasha was a genius. She made Wanda make all of Tony's clothes a little bit tighter. Sure enough, when he appeared the building, he was tugging at his shirt. His pride was damaged when he saw Wanda and Natasha snickering at him.

"What?" His face paled when he looked behind them. They had dragged Clint with them. He made the connection. "Sorry, Wanda." He sighed. He didn't seem to realize that it had been Wanda who tightened his shirts, though. If it made Tony Stark feel uncomfortable, who was she to take it away?

"Gossiping like a middleschooler." Natasha muttered, rolling her eyes at him.

 She took away his memory, too. Now no one knew. She didn't even tell Natasha. She only told Natasha Clint had found out one of her secrets, and the assassin had needed no more convincing.

She knew no one would understand what she was doing with Vision. It was as intimate as they got, which was okay for an android. They just shared thoughts. It was calming and peaceful and strange. She loved Vision for him and Vision loved Wanda for her. That was that. 

They often fell asleep like that, nestled together.

She really needed to think about a lock.


	6. Night Terrors

Vision was off on a mission with Steve and Clint. They were most likely going to return the next day. 

They'd been gone for almost a week.

Without Vision, Wanda had no place to anchor her mind. Her thoughts drifted to dark places. Dark places like Pietro.

So when night fell and sleep evaded her, Wanda's powers went rogue. It happened sometimes, when she was feeling a particularly strong emotion. 

She was feeling fear and despair, so everyone else was too. They were feeling it through nightmares.

And she was seeing their nightmares.

It was of their worst fears. She saw blood and death and she felt all of their fear. Pure, unadulterated fear coming from everyone in the building. It paralyzed her. The worst part was she couldn't block it out. Not without Vision.

She was covered in blankets, yet she still shivered. Her breaths were short and she couldn't close her eyes without seeing the terrible images the others were tortured with in their dreams...

She couldn't change the fear to something else, something happier. She had to be calm to do that. She had to be unafraid. Everything she _wasn't_ right now. 

Wanda lay awake, unwilling to fall into the sharp claws of sleep now. She knew she would see everything they were seeing so very clearly... and she would dream of Pietro. She did often, but it would be worse. It would be infinitely worse. 

So she took deep breaths, wrapped in blankets, as the fear turned to panic and she could feel herself slipping away. She could get up. She could walk around... but she was so tired... 

 _Get up!_ She commanded herself. As she stood on shaky legs, she wondered if she could communicate with Vision over such a distance.

_Vision?_

No, the word echoed into nothingness. She was alone. She wandered around aimlessly. She found herself in the lunch room. She went into the kitchen with the intension of making a drink, maybe hot chocolate, or tea.

She opened a cupboard and saw, to her surprise, Vision's cape. She grabbed it and held it to her chest, like the cape could really replace him.

There was a note shoved into the folds of the fabric. 'Look on the top of the fridge' it said. She obeyed, peeking on the top of the black refrigerator. There was a small container. She opened it to see a small cake. A cupcake, that's what it's called, she remembered. 

The fear was still there, but it was muted. At the back of her mind.

The cupcake had red frosting. It was chocolate and delicious.The cape fell to the floor.

She felt the fear set in again. _Deep breaths, deep breaths, Wanda._

Suddenly, she felt a softness on her shoulders. The fear turned to panic once again, but then she noticed: the cape was gone. It was now on her shoulders.

She turned around to see Vision. She felt tears in her eyes and flung herself onto him.

"Vision." She whispered. "I can't control it without you." She paused. "The fear."

"I'm here now, love." He reassured her. 

"They're all having nightmares and it's because of me and _I can see all of their nightmares_." She  said breathlessly. She pressed her lips to his, hugging him closer.

_Wanda._

_Vision._

_Calm down._

_...What?_

He smiled against her lips. _It's not that I'm not enjoying this. Just... you need to calm down so everyone else can._

_Right._

Wanda pulled away from him. "It was a good cupcake." Her voice cracked. Tears fell down her cheeks, but Vision wiped them away.

"I made it myself." He said casually. Wanda grinned. "Come on, love, you need sleep."

"Stay with me?" She pleaded.

"Of course." He replied. He carried her back silently, holding her close. She almost fell asleep in his arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he gently set her down on her bed.

"Yes, I'm okay now." She wrapped the cape tightly around her shoulders.

"Are their nightmares better?" He asked.

She shivered. "They always have nightmares, but I can ignore them."

Vision frowned. "That's not good."

Wanda sighed. "I know." She bit her lip. "I love you." She murmured drowsily.

Vision smiled. "And I you. Sleep now, my love."

Wanda's dreams were filled with clouds. The beautiful clouds Vision would show her hen everything became too loud. She, in some part of her dormant mind, wanted the others to see the clouds. They were so beautiful. Or perhaps she thought they were beautiful because she associated them with Vision...


	7. What Can I Do?

Wanda was on a mission. That's all Vision was told, so he was worried when she was whisked off into the unknown. He was right to be worried, too. She returned in very bad condition.

***

"Where is Wanda?" Vision asked as Sam hurried by. The man was on the mission with Wanda, as well as Natasha and Steve.

Sam glanced at him with a sad sparkle in his eyes, but did not answer. Vision watched as he disappeared. Why was he back early? Where was the rest of the team? Where was _Wanda_?

He only realized how much he missed her the day after she left. He hadn't known exactly what it was, so he asked Clint.

"You _miss_ her." Clint had answered with a chuckle. It made sense. He ached for her presence, and if Sam was back early, surely Wanda and the rest were, too?

Vision didn't know where Sam went. He decided to ask around. No one was paying attention to his question, they just looked up distractedly.

That is, until he asked Tony. 

"Is everyone back? Is Wanda?" He asked desperately. Perhaps the man would listen to him.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You really don't know?"

Vision frowned. "What? No one will tell me anything."

Tony bit his lip, which was very out of the ordinary. "Follow me."

Tony led him down the winding hallways... to the infirmary? No, that shouldn't be happening. That meant that Wanda was in the infirmary. Wanda couldn't be hurt.

"She's in there." Tony gestured toward a glass door. There was a curtain blocking his view on the other side.

"Surely she's not-"

"She is." His voice sounded final.

"Okay." Vision's voice was small. He opened the door queitly, not wanting to disturb anyone. Wanda lay restlessly on a hospital bed, surrounded by nurses and doctors.

"Is she okay?" He whispered. His eyes were glued to her twitching figure. Red stained her hospital gown.

"You should not be in here-" 

The doctor was cut off. The door opened again, but this time Nick Fury entered. "He's okay."

"Okay." The doctor answered uneasily. "She seems to have... put herself into a sort of coma.  With her- uh-  magic... She won't die, and we can heal her, but we don't know how to wake her up."

Vision narrowed his eyes. "She's sleeping..." He paused. "She's having nightmares."

"She seems to be stressed, but she's... sleeping."

Vision quickly made the connection. "She's probably picking up on all of your thoughts."

"What are we supposed to do?" The doctor sounded bitter.

"Be calm." He was repressing hostility now. Why weren't they doing everything they could? Why hadn't they tried to find the source of the stress?

"Vision? You gotta go." Fury said, gesturing to the door.

"But-"

"No. Go." Fury insisted. 

Vision sighed. "What can I do?"

"Leave us." Fury growled. 

Vision left, not making the effort to close the door gently. It slammed shut, jolting one of the nurses who was walking by. He wandered through the corridors aimlessly, the image of Wanda's injured body stuck in his head.

He bumped into Clint.

"What's wrong, Vision?" The archer asked.

Vision didn't want to answer. "Didn't you hear?" He kept walking, leaving Clint standing alone. _What can I do?_ He kept asking himself. He muttered it quietly, thinking. "What can I do?" He had to help her. He didn't know what he would do with himself if he didn't.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He turned around, back in the direction of the infirmary. He was flying now, inches off the ground. He had to hurry. Wanda wouldn't feel the effects of the people's moods around her. She wouldn't have nightmares anymore.

He burst in. Nick Fury was gone, and there was only one nurse in the room now, most likely left there to monitor her condition. How long had he been gone?

Vision ignored the nurse. He sat in the small chair situated beside Wanda's bed and took her hand, which had an IV tube sticking out of it.

He thought of the most calming images he could recall, hoping she'd see them as she saw everyone else's thoughts. He thought of the clouds. Puffy white clouds, floating across the stark blue sky in the wind. She loved the clouds.

She began to stop twitching. He would stay here until she woke up, if that's what it took. She wasn't suffering if she was asleep and she wasn't having nightmares. If she wasn't with him, at least she was happy.

***

Wanda awoke a few days later. Natasha had finally returned from the mission and went to see her sleeping friend.

She sat up abruptly and when her eyes opened, the irises were scarlet. "Vision?" Her hoarse voice cracked.

"Wanda?" Natasha asked. She was surprised Wanda had woken up after only a few short days comatose.

"Where's Vision?" She demanded. Her voice was still hoarse, but she sounded a little better.

Vision burst through the door. He was probably keeping tabs on her, somehow. Maybe it was the mind-thing.

"Wanda?" He whispered.

***

Vision barely noticed Natasha. He sat on the end of Wanda's bed, taking her hand.

"Thank you. For the clouds." She said quietly. 

"I should have been here when you woke up." He said with a frown.

"You're here now." She replied, removing the IV from her hand. She winced a little.

"Careful, love." He cautioned.

"I'm fine. I'm almost all healed up. I made myself heal faster." She retorted.

"Is that was that coma was?" He asked curiously.

Her eyes widened. "How long was I out?"

"Three days, love. Don't ever do that to me again." His voice was pained. 

"I'm sorry." She looked down, away from him.

"You don't need to apologize. Just don't go into anymore comas." He shook his head fondly. Wanda coughed into her arm, and it came away bloody. "Lie down, love. You're not done here yet."

"I know." She sighed. "I don't suppose you know what it's like to be bedridden. You don't bleed or anything." She glanced at him skeptically. "Do you?"

He smiled. "No."

"Yeah."

Vision looked over. It appeared Natasha had left sometime during their conversation. She was quiet.

"She's gone." Wanda said mischieviously. 

"No." Vision sighed. "You have to lie still, love."

She grudgingly obeyed. "Don't go."

"I won't, Wanda. Don't worry."

"I don't want to sleep." 

He grinned. "Then don't. You've been sleeping for three days."

"Mmm. I'm still tired, though." Her eyelids drooped.

"I'm not going anywhere, love." He glanced at her glazy eyes. "Even while you sleep, I'll give you sweet dreams."


	8. The Barton Farm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this one, I hope you like it! Thanks for all the good feedback!

The Avengers were visiting the Barton farm. And Wanda was an Avenger.

It might not be so bad if she didn't have the little devil baby Nathaniel Pietro there the whole time. Or Clint and Laura reminding her of her parents...

Oh, well. She was going to go. She wasn't going to sit alone in the Avengers facility. She knew Vision would stay with her if she stayed, but he wanted to go, and she wouldn't make him stay if he didn't want to.

So she was going to suffer through one night at the Barton farm. It would be one of those happy nights with bonfires and smiling. Nights Wanda had only dreamed about.

***

The Barton farm was a nice little place. She could see why Clint liked it. There weren't enough rooms in the house for them all to sleep, so Natasha, Steve, and Tony would sleep inside, while Vision and Wanda slept outisde (Well, Wanda would sleep. Vision would... sit around.).Maybe in a tent. She didn'lt really care, sleeping in a house with a baby didn't sound appealing. 

Sam, Bruce, Thor, and Rhodey hadn't wanted to come. So maybe the Avengers weren't going. A few of them had wanted to visit Clint's family was more like it.

When they arrived, Laura had welcomed them all and them kissed Clint with Nathaniel on her hip. Lila and Cooper followed her eagerly, watching Wanda and Vision curiously. They had never seen them before, of course they were curious, Wanda reassured herself.

"Welcome! You must be Wanda and Vision!" Laura cried. She was a cheerful woman.

Wanda nodded, while Vision was more polite. "Yes. You have a beautiful home." He said politely, glancing at her children. He had never seen children before. They were new to him.

Natasha conversed with Laura happily, now cradling Nathaniel. "Nate's grown so much!" Wanda heard her say. Nate. The name sounded strange to her. Or perhaps everything about the child would always be unsettling to her- he'd be a constant reminder of her lost brother.

She took a deep breath. She would not think of Pietro and get in a bad mood. She wouldn't ruin everyone else's time here.

_Wanda?_

She glanced over at Vision _. Yes?_

_Don't think of him. Just enjoy yourself._

She nodded. Enjoying herself was a long shot, but she didn't want to have a bad time.

"Mum, what're they doing?" Cooper asked, staring at Vision with wide eyes.

"Don't be rude, Cooper." Laura chastised. 

Wanda braced herself. Might as well be friendly. "I do not mind." She said, smiling at the child. "We are speaking with our minds."

Cooper gasped with a goofy grin on his face. "How?"

This child was rather cute. "I have mind powers." She explained. "It is sort of like magic."

Lila had appeared beside her brother. "Magic?" She said, looking up at Wanda with big, curious eyes.

"Magic." 

"Can you show us some?" Cooper demanded.

Wanda glanced at Laura, who nodded. "I can. You see that painting, over there?"

Lila nodded. "The crooked one?"

"Yes. I can make it straight from here, just with my mind." She said quietly, as if telling a secret.

"Oh, show us!" Cooper sighed.

Wanda did. The children watched intently.

"Mommy! Mum! Did you see that? She did magic!" Cooper shouted. Wanda grinned. Children weren't so bad.

"Yes, I did. Quiet down a little." Laura replied. 

"Aw, mom." Cooper sighed, deflated.

"I think he wants down." Clint observed, watching the baby in Natasha's arms. Nathaniel waved his chubby little arms.

Natasha set him down, and he crawled toward Wanda. She closed her eyes for a moment. Why this child? Why the one who carried the name of her brother?

_It's okay, Wanda._

_I know._

Vision took her hand _. It's okay._

"Do you want to hold him?" Laura asked.

"Sure." Her voice cracked. She picked up the child, not sure how to hold him. She put him on her hip like she had seen his mother do, and he seemed happy enough, reaching up at her hair. "He's cute." Her voice was still uneven. "Nate." She tested it out. The name fit the boy.

His puffy cheeks were rosy. His huge eyes stared up at her, along with a toothless grin.

"I think he likes you." Vision commented.

Wanda nodded. It had been so long since she'd seen children, this was almost a new experience. 

She was definitely going to enjoy herself this evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will also be at the farm.


	9. Bonfires

"Time to go to bed, kids." Laura announced at one point. They had agreed reluctantly, but Wanda didn't miss the two little faces peeking out through a window.

Wanda realized that she might have been right about the bonfires thing. Clint was gathering sticks and branches while Laura held a lighter.

Wanda didn't particularly like fire, but this was okay.

Tony and Steve were in deep conversation, while Clint and Laura spoke under their breath. Natasha hurried over to Wanda and Vision.

"What are you two gonna do?" She asked.

Wanda shrugged. "I don't remember ever going to one of these before." Vision, meanwhile, was absorbed in the fire, standing too close for comfort.

"You've seen fire before." Wanda called. He turned around. 

"I know. I haven't seen it up close." He replied.

Wanda shrugged. "I don't know."

Natasha was lost in thought. "Have you ever had a s'more?"

"No?" Wanda answered. _What is a s'more?_

"Oh, this is gonna be great." Natasha grinned. "Laura, these two haven't ever had s'mores!"

Laura smiled and laughed a little. "Or roast marshmallows?"

Wanda smiled sadly. Perhaps she had at least seen bonfires before- she remember the roasting marshmallows part. "I have."

Vision appeared at her side. "Roasting marshmallows? What a strange concept."

Memories were flooding back. Of her family. Maybe this had been a bad idea...

_Wanda?_

_Hmm?_

_Don't think of them. Concentrate on me._

She could feel his arms around her. _Okay_. She realized in her brief... memories, she had almost blacked out, falling as if fainting. Vision caught her.

"I'm okay." She sighed. Things just got a lot more complicated...

Clint gave Laura a look that said, _I'll explain later._

Natasha eyed Wanda suspiciously. She shook it off, declaring, "Let's roast marshmallows!"

Steve nodded enthusiastically, and clint pulled a bag of marshmallows out of nowhere.

"I'll get the chocolate." Laura announced. Why did they need chocolate?

"Go find sticks." Clint ordered. 

Wanda scanned the yard and found one pretty far away, so she just pulled it over telekinetically.

Steve found one that was more like a small tree trunk.

Tony broke on off of a tree.

Natasha found the one she thought was perfect: perfect length, not dirty, not very dry, so not likely to catch on fire. Vision was the same.

Clint, to no one's surprise, used an arrow. 

Laura returned with the chocolate and a box of cookies. Why were there cookies? 

Wanda heard Steve, Tony, and Clint talking loudly.

"My stick is bigger than yours." Steve declared.

"You wish." Tony muttered.

"Mine-" Clint began, but he was cut off by Laura.

"Tony, did you break a branch of one of the trees?"

Natasha grinned. "The sticks are like the people."

"What?" Vision asked. He was more curious than anything.

"Well," Natasha explained, "Steve's is huge, and Steve is huge. Tony broke his off the tree. Tony's a little bitch." Tony chucked his stick at her. "Clint's is an arrow. It's not even a stick. It's an arrow. I think you can figure out the rest."

Vision nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

"So, marshmallows." Laura announced. She tore open the bag and popped one into her mouth before passing it to Natasha.

Eventually, Wanda began roasting the marhsmallow. She almost dropped it in the fire a few times.

Tony frowned. His was black as coal. "Anyone wanna trade?"

"Sure." Natasha replied. Hers was golden brown as she had just started. When they switched, she devoured the gooey treat with ravenous bites. 

Wanda realized Vision was about to eat his. Did he eat? She suspected he could, but didn't need to. 

He took a slow bite, savouring it. "Delicious." He proclaimed, finishing it eagerly.

"S'mores!" Clint announced. Wanda ate hers. It was the best thing she had ever tasted.

There was only one more incident that night. It was getting very late, and everyone was sober but Tony. He was flat-out drunk. He asked Wanda, "What happened earlier? When you blacked out?" His speech was slurred.

Vision moved closer to Wanda, grasping her had. "I think you should leave that incident alone." Vision chose his words carefully.

"C'mon." Tony slurred.

"No." Wanda hissed. The fire went out with a flash of red light.

It was around then when everyone went to sleep.

***

They finally slept. Laura insisted that Wanda sleep in the house, but she declined. It was quieter outside, more in the sense of  thoughts. If she was just with Vision, she wouldn't have their thoughts invading her head. Plus, they were under the open sky. It was beautiful. She'd rather sleep here than anywhere else.

At one point, she could just hear Laura and Clint conversing. If she tried to listen in on their thoughts, it would be easier. Just this once, she promised herself. She would ignore them the rest of the night.

"What is it with Wanda and Vision?" Laura asked. It wasn't said in a rude way, mostly interested and curious.

"What do you mean?" Cint replied.

"They sort of... gravitate toward eachother. If she moves, he'll adjust with her. " She paused, then added, "If she had stayed at the facility, he would have stayed, wouldn't he." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yeah. They're very..." Clint struggled for the right words. "They're very taken with each other. Very in love. He seems to be the only one she's truly comfortable around."

"Mmm. G'night." She whispered.

Wanda stopped listening. Did they really... what was the word? Gravitate toward each other? She didn't mind exactly, but even she herself hadn't noticed it. Laura was very observant.

"Did you hear that?" She murmured to Vision, who was sitting by Wanda's shoulder while she fell asleep.

"Yes." He admitted. "I... is it a problem?"

"Oh, no." She reassured him. "It's not a problem at all. I've just never noticed it before."

"I haven't either." He replied, smoothing back her hair. "Are you okay?"

He was thinking about the incident with Tony. "Yes, I am. At least, now I am."

"I'm sorry that all of this happened." Vision sighed. He positioned himself so he was lying down beside Wanda, and she turned to face him.

"I'm tired." She announced with a sigh. She quickly pressed a kiss on his lips, then said, "I don't want to sleep."

"I know, love. I don't really want you to, either." Vision grinned. "But we're out in the open. There's seven people in there who can open windows."

"Psh." She yawned. "Get under here with me." She gestured to the blanket.

"Why?"

"I'm cold."

"That's why you have a blanket."

"Yes, but you can regulate your body heat. Be warm under here so I'm warm." She explained, exasperated. He rolled his eyes and obeyed, putting his arm around her.

"Your arm is not very soft." Wanda said with a frown.

"I know." He replied, pulling her closer. He removed his arm when their faces were mere inches away. "Better?"

She smiled. "Better."


	10. Children and Motherhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are giving such positive feedback! I can't stop smiling, thank you!  
> (This chapter's gonna be short, but I think I might be able to finish the one after tonight.)

Vision went inside before the others woke up. He didn't sleep, so he might as well make breakfast for them.

He heard a small thump. Not audible to human ears, and definitely not enough to wake anyone up. He crept softly up the stairs and heard the noise again. It was coming from the children's room. He suspected the three of them usually weren't cramped up in one room, but they had to make do with guests.

The thumping was coming from little Nathaniel's crib. He was banging his tiny fists, and he looked like he was about to go into a tantrum. Vision scooped him up and brought him downstairs, hoping if the child did end up crying, it would be quieter and no one would be disturbed. Somewhere in his vast knowledge, there was something about babies. He could calm this child.

He began to rock the child, humming a sweet-sounding melody he did not know the name of.

***

That's how the others found him, sitting cross-legged on the kitchen floor, slowly rocking Nathaniel.

Lila and Cooper thought it was adorable. Laura and Clint thought it a bit strange, but left him there, seeing as Nathaniel was calm.

Natasha smiled and ushered the other kids away, not wanting to bother Vision, and in turn, bother Nate.

Tony was extremely hungover and didn't think anything of it.

Wanda arrived last, and she looked tired and worried, but as soon as she saw Vision with Nate, her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She sat down beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Nate reached for her, so she held him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The two fawned over Nate for a while, before Laura smiled and reluctantly told them he needed to be fed. Wanda agreed without so much as a frown, hand intertwined with Vision's.

"They'd make good parents." Laura remarked at one point to Clint.

"I don't know. He's an android and she's..." He faltered.

"Come on, Clint. Look how they were with Nate."

Wanda overheard this conversation. She thought about it for a long time. Did she ever want to be a mother? She wasn't sure. And though Clint hadn't finished his sentence, she knew what he was going to say: she was dangerous. Unstable.

It was true, of course. No one would ever be completely safe around her. Maybe her kids would have some of her powers, though.

How would she even go about getting children? It's not like it was possible with Vision. Perhaps she'd just stick with no kids for now. It was much easier that way.

"Are you thinking about it, too?" Vision whispered in her ear.

She nodded. "Yes."

"It would never work." There was a certain wistfulness in his voice.

"Maybe one day." There was a certain wistfulness in her voice, too.


	11. Amnesia

### 

_"Goodbye, love. I'll be back before you know it."_

Those were the last words Vision had said to Wanda before he left for his mission. She was okay alone now. Well, not okay, but better. She waited idly, watching TV most of the time. She realized she wasn't much without Vision. It wasn't a comforting thought, but she knew that he'd always be there for her.

She thought he would.

He returned from the mission looking pretty normal, but when she approached him, the others got in her way and didn't let her near him. She was aching to see what was going on, but every time she asked, people shook their heads and bit their lips nervously. She tried to see into his mind, but it was frighteningly blank. She took a deep breath. If she could get past the throng of people following him to wherever he was going, she could just ask him.

They seemed to be going to the infirmary, which was the problem. She shook her head to herself. He wasn't hurt. He could not be hurt, it actually wasn't possible. She thought she was maybe the only one in the world who didn't have to worry about her love being injured.

One tiny voice rang in the back of her mind: _what if it's his head? What if something went wrong in the mission, and his beautiful mind is ruined?_

The fear of that possibility gave her the energy to shove through the crowd, not caring about the others around her. If he was okay, she was okay. If Vision was gone, Wanda was _broken_. She would spiral into insanity- not even from missing him. She'd simply have no happy place to go to in her vast, unstable, unpredictable mind. He wasn't just her love, he was her drug.

She realized she had ended up following Helen Cho- that was incredibly useful. Of course she'd be the one to look at Vision. But Helen was going farther into the labs than Wanda had ever been. It was her first real clue: something was horrifyingly wrong.

They finally stopped at a room with nothing simple, just a bed in it. Then, someone brought a mangled wreck in: the cradle.

Wanda knew Helen would not let her in, but she tried anyway, before Vision was completely cut from her view. She pressed up against the window. Vision spotted her! His eyes locked with hers and-

Nothing. No flash of recognition, no hand reaching out toward her.

She felt a tear fall down her cheek. A curtain was swept shut and that was her last glimpse of Vision.

Maybe all wasn't lost. If he was still alive, she could still look into his mind, right? Even if... even if _her_ Vision was gone, there was _a_ Vision.

Her hands blazed scarlet. No, no. She would not do this again- she did not want to bring about mass destruction. But maybe she couldn't stop it all- what would she have done if she had to hold her pain in when she felt the emptiness in her mind where Pietro used to be?

She wandered. The halls all looked the same, but she was lost anyway. She'd never been to this part of the building before. She eventually, after descending many flights of stairs, found a hallway with nothing but empty rooms.

Finally, she took a breath, and she let all of her emotions, her pain, loose, only for half a moment. That's all she allowed herself: half a moment.

The walls crumbled around her. Chunks of the ceiling fell, but they missed her. She was surrounded by cement walls, locked in solitude.

She couldn't bear to suffer. She'd become more trouble than she was worth, then she'd be completely alone. No home, no one to help her, no one to chain her up before she destroyed everything within a fifty mile radius.

After a long while, she heard a voice. "Maximoff!" It was Nick Fury.

She didn't say anything. Perhaps it was safer for her to stay locked up in her cement prison.

"Maximoff! Vision's not dead!" Fury shouted.

"I know!" Her voice cracked. "He doesn't remember me!"

Fury waited a long time before answering. "Doesn't mean your life is over."

"It means I'm alone." She hugged her knees.

"You're not alone!" He retorted. "You've got the Avengers."

"You can't replace Vision!" She shrieked, hearing the wild tone in her own voice.

Fury sighed. "I know, but you're not alone."

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Yes, I am. I can't be free, I have to hold it in. Or else this whole place will come down."

Fury paused. "Then what was this?"

Her voice grew soft. "This was half a moment. Half a second, that's it. I allowed myself half a moment and the walls crashed around me."

"Oh." Fury's voice was not small or quiet now, it was just thoughtful. "And what if you let it all out?"

"I told you," she answered, "the facility would fall to the ground and everything around it."

"Was it like this with your brother?"

"No! Then, I had something to take it out on. Now, I'm the only danger here." She whispered. She was surprised Fury could hear her.

Another voice spoke up. It was Natasha. "Then stay in there." Her red hair appeared at the top of the cement pile. "I'll bring you food."

"I won't eat it."

"I'll sit here until you eat it." Natasha leaped down nimbly from the wall, carrying a sandwich.

"You can't be around me." Wanda hissed, pushing away the sandwich.

"I should." Natasha insisted.

"If I mess up for a second, you'll be dead within moments."

The woman shrugged. "I trust you."

Wanda shrank back. "I don't trust me." She paused. "If I eat, will you leave?"

Natasha nodded. "I said I would."

Wanda bit into the sandwich. She was surprised at how hungry she was. She finished it quickly.

"Go."

***

Days passed, and Natasha, without fail, delivered a sandwich twice a day.

One day, a different voice called from the other side of the wall. It was Helen Cho.

"Wanda?" Her voice was uneven. Wanda didn't know if she could hold on anymore. If Helen was there, nothing good was going to happen.

Natasha seemed to read her thoughts. "It's good news."

"What?" Her voice was hoarse. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine it: letting go. Dying.

"Vision. His memories are there, but he can't access them. We can help him, though." Helen explained.

"What?" Wanda shouted. She could see her Vision again. _Her_ Vision.

"Come on out. Don't worry, I'll be here." Natasha called.

Wanda wanted to reply with a cutting remark about how she didn't need Natasha, but she did. "Okay." She whispered. She didn't want to move the cement, she might accidentally do more damage than necessary. So she carefully climbed the wall, stretching her stiff muscles.

Natasha was there when she reached the top, taking her hand encouragingly. "You'll have him back in no time."

Wanda frowned. "If they can't get him back, I won't be able to hold on, you know. We'll all die because of me."

"They'll succeed." Natasha reassured her.

"They better." She muttered.

Natasha and Wanda followed Helen down the corridors to see Nick Fury.

"Helen. Why did you get her?" He demanded.

"Because we can save him." Helen replied. Her voice was quiet. Had Wanda heard wrong? She thought Helen had said "Because we can save _her_."

"It's risky. Too risky. I'd rather keep the new Vision than risk it all to get his memories back." Fury cried.

"What do you mean?" Wanda's voice came out as a shout.

Fury glared at Helen. "She didn't tell you? This operation might not work. It'll either work, or kill him."

Wanda choked out a sob. "What?"

"So it's not happening." Fury declared.

Natasha glanced uneasily at Wanda. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Isn't it?" Fury retorted.

Wanda shook. "I don't think it's up to you." Her bottom lip quivered. So did the ground.

"Nick..." Natasha cautioned.

"I can kill you." Wanda whispered, staring into his one eye.

"You wouldn't." He looked a little worried, no matter how confident he sounded.

" _I can_." Her hands clenched into fists and a scarlet light engulfed all four of them.

"Nick. If she blows her top, we'll all die." Natasha hissed. "She'll kill everyone here, including herself."

"Why?"

"No one told her. She's been holding it in for too long."

Wanda inhaled sharply. "You have known... this whole time?"

Nick nodded.

Wanda collapsed. "I'm so selfish. Just do the procedure."

"What?" Nick whispered.

"Just do it."

***

"Vision?"

It was done. They were yet to see if he was alive or not.

She quivered. A few more minutes- then she could either let go or be happy.

His eyes opened. Wanda gasped.

"Wanda?" His voice was the same as ever- soft and calm and beautiful.

"I love you." She choked out. She felt a ripple, ever so slight, but still there. She was surrounded by the clouds- why had she done that?

Oh no.

Her hands were surrounded in red. It wasn't over, she wasn't done yet.

"Wanda?" His voice broke the illusion.

"Vision." She sighed. "Vision. I almost killed everyone. I could have killed _you_."

"I'm sorry, love." There was real pain in his eyes. The red faded.

"I'm so selfish- I got them to do the procedure. It could have killed you just as much as it could have succeeded." She whispered, closing her eyes. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I'd do the same for you." Vision offered.

It didn't help. "Yeah, but if it failed on me, you wouldn't bring down the building."

"Is that really what I put you through?" He sounded so, so guilty. Wanda couldn't bear it.

"It's not your fault. I'm too unstable." Wanda muttered.

"You're perfect, Wanda."

He kissed her. It really was _her_ Vision. 


	12. Flight

Ever since she had almost destroyed the facility, nightmares came. Some were about the procedure failing and Vision dying. Others about what would have happened if she let go.

The worst ones were her worst fears. Herself.

In her dreams, a deep, gravelly voice spoke to her. "You can do whatever you want." It would whisper. "You can create realities around you. You have the power to rule the world."

The most frightening thing about the voice was that it was hers. Maybe it didn'lt sound like her, but those thoughts haunted her day and night.

One day, Vision asked: "Who's the voice?" His voice was gentle and curious.

"What?" She demanded. How did he know?

"You spoke of him, or it, in your sleep. You said, 'The voice won't leave me alone. I won't leave me alone.'"

"Oh."

"It didn't make a lot of sense." He said. "What is the voice? And why won't it leave you alone?"

Wanda bit her lip. DId she really want to voice her fears? "I have nightmares. The voice talks to me. It says awful things, my worst fears. But they're my thoughts." She paused. "The voice makes them so real."

His eyes softened. "Do you mind telling me what it says? It's okay if you don't want to."

"No, I'm fine." She took a deep breath. "He tells me... everything I can do. Which is everything."

"What do you mean?" He pressed. He wasn't being nosy. It felt like therapy.

"I can create realities. I can do whatever I want. Anything at all." She whispered. "It's terrifying. If I slipped up for a moment... like when you- when you- you know."

He nodded. "Have you ever tried to use your powers for anything bad?"

"Ultron was bad. Strucker was bad." She retorted.

"Since you got here. You're fine now, right?" He replied, taking her hand.

She nodded numbly. "But-"

"You can control it well. You won't slip up." He reassured her.

"But I almost slip up all the time. The only thing keeping me from it is you." She insisted.

"You'll always have me, love." He replied with finality.

"That's what I thought before." Wanda murmured.

"Let's put your powers to some good use, then." Vision looked like he already had an idea in mind.

"What are we doing?" Wanda demanded. She followed Vision down corridors and up stairs, wondering why they were headed up to the roof.

"You'll see." He answered.

It was evening and the sun was setting, casting beautiful orange hues across the sky. The roof looked pinkish in the light.

"What are we doing?" Wanda repeated.

He launched into the air, reaching for her hand. "Do you trust me?" He asked. Wanda grinned they had just watched Aladdin, and this was very clearly a reference.

"Yes." She took his hand, gasping as he pulled her into his arms. They flew higher and higher, until the facility was but a smudge on the distant ground. "Wow..." She breathed.

For a moment, she  wondered what this had to do with her powers. Then she realized: Vision was showing her she could fly.

On an impulse, she fought her way out of Vision's arms, ignoring his cry of fear.

She could manipulate energy and gravity, this was too easy. She let herself fall for a few moments before catshing herself, gliding toward Vision, who crashed into her in his frantic haste.

"Do not do that ever again!" He shouted. Did Vision shout? Apparently. 

"I won't." She replied. "Sorry I scared you." 

"It's fine, love." He breathed. He pulled her into an embrace. "What if you hadn't been able to-"

"Shh." She whispered. "I can do anything, remember?" Her voice cracked.

"Anything." He replied quietly. She pulled him into a kiss and-

He began to fall. She did her best to catch him.

"Thank you." He didn't breath, but he sounded restless.

"What happened?" She asked.

He grinned. "I got distracted."

"Not at all ashamed?" Wanda replied playfully as he righted himself.

"Why should I be?" He answered. 

"Hey, you should try falling. It's exhilirating." She remarked. 

He froze with fear. " _I_ could fall. I won't let _you_."

"Take my hand." She said. He couldn't stop her. He obeyed. "If we get too close to the ground, catch me."

"Fine." He sighed.

Wanda let herself fall. She felt her heir fly in the wind and Vision gripping her hand tightly. Her every instinct told her to stop, to catch herself. She ignored them. Wind roared in her ears. She spread her arms, feeling the cool air around her.

"Wanda..." Vision cautioned. Th Avengers facility was under them. Within seconds, they'd hit it.

She caught him and slowed them down so they landed light as a feather. "The ground is boring." Wanda complained.

"Then fly. You know I'll follow." Vision replied.

"Maybe I won't go far." She hovered several feet about the roof. Vision followed, staring at her intensely. ""Don't get distracted." She whispered before she kissed him. His fingers ran through her hair and-

A voice called to them. 

"Get down from there. Get a room, at least." It was Clint. "There's a meeting."

Vision, to Wanda's suprise, told her, in their minds only:

 _To be continued_.

She smiled.


	13. Caught

Wanda and Vision were caught four times before someone decided they needed to take action.

***

The first time, the others were planning a mission.

Wanda was in the kitchen, making tea. Her friends were planning and strategizing, something she neither enjoyed or excelled at. She ignored the burning sensation on her tongue as she sipped it, absentmindedly stirring it with her fingers.

"Wanda?" Vision asked, approaching her.

"Yes?" She replied, sipping her tea.

"I am bored." He paused. "This is a new sensation. I do not like it."

Wanda grinned. This was very _Vision_ of him. "I'm bored, too. Now I have tea."

"How does tea cure boredom?" He asked.

"It burns my tongue." She replied. She realized this was a strange way to distract herself.

"Oh. I can't imagine why that helps." He said thoughtfully.

Wanda thought for a moment. "When I burn myself, I have to heal it. I just do that, over and over." 

"How strange." He remarked. "Perhaps there are other ways to cure boredom."

Wanda smiled. "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing, but I see what you are implying." He replied. Wanda wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately. His lips were cold and soft and so very Vision. She pushed him up against the wall and felt his fingers in her hair.

"Are we interrupting something?" Natasha asked after bursting into the kitchen.

"Don't get anything on the food." Clint snickered. Natasha elbowed him.

"Shut up, Barton." Wanda sighed, rolling her eyes.

Vision looked at her.

_Your eyes are rather red._

_Are they?_

_Yes. You might want to fix that before Agent Barton makes anymore rude comments._

Wanda changed her eye colour. She supposed it was strange that she could simply do that on a whim, but that was beside the point.

"You two need to get a room."

***

The second time was when the other Avengers were beginning to play a game.

"Vision, do you really want to sit around and play Monopoly for hours?" Wanda asked. She knew he did, but she was trying to dissuade him.

"Yes, I do." Vision replied matter-of-factly.

"We could do other things." She replied lazily. She didn't have anything in mind. Anything but Monopoly.

His eyes narrowed, but he was smiling. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Wanda frowned. She was definitely missing something. "Probably not."

"Wanda." He rolled his eyes affectionately. "You know more of human nature than I do. You should have seen this coming."

"What coming?" She demanded.

"This." He whispered in her ear. He picked her up and pulled her close so their noses were touching.

"Oh." She realized. Her arms tangled in his cape and his arms tangled in her hair, locked in a passionate, fiery kiss. She couldn't tell how long they were in her room. 

She did know that when someone opened the door and Vision set her down on the bed, her lips were swollen and her hair was a mess. 

"Jeez, guys. Do you want to play Monopoly?" Sam said. Wanda brushed back her hair nonchalantly. 

"You could have knocked." She said at the same time Vision answered with, "No, we're not playing."

Sam sighed. "Okay, then."

Wanda had no doubt the others would hear about it, but at that moment, she really didn't care.

***

The third time was rather embarrassing. Especially for Vision, who had very rarely ever experienced ebarrassment

.

They were in a meeting. A boring meeting about a mission Wanda, Vision, Natasha, Steve, and Sam were going on.

Something to do with a war that was going on, and there might have been something about hostages. Wanda didn't need to know all of the background information. She just did what she was told and that was it. Plus, hearing the extra info was often depressing.

She mostly spoke with Vision, who tried his hardest to ignore her because he was listening, but usually failed. He wasn't distracted easily most of the time. Well, he wasn't distracted easily apart from her. So she made a little game out of it: How fast could she distract Vision?

Today, he was being especially stubborn. Nothing she did could get his attention. Of course, it was all in their minds, so no one knew what she was doing or tried to stop her.

As Steve talked and talked, Vision listened intently. Wanda was almost ready to give up when she thought: what if I didn't stay in his mind? What if I poked and prodded him? 

Or...

She nudged him. He looked over at her impatiently. She kissed him. It was meant to be a quick peck on the lips, nothing more, but he held it, cradling her cheek with his hand. Her heartbeat accelerated.

"Vision. Wanda. Are you paying attention?" Steve asked, glancing away awkwardly. They broke apart. If Vision had been human, his face would have been flushed with embarrassment.

"No." Wanda replied, while Vision insisted, "Yes."

There was a heavy sigh of resignation. "I cannot stress it enough: get a room." Sam cried. 

"To be fair, last time, you didn't even knock and it was _my_ room." Wanda retorted.

"Can we get on with the meeting?" Steve demanded, rolling his eyes.

"Fine."

***

The fourth and last time was on the roof.

Wanda had gone up to watch the sunrise, but she was early, so she waited. At one point, Vision sat down with her. She didn't really expect him to want to see the sunrise: he had so many times before.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He said, gazing into the empty sky.

"The sun's not even visible yet." She pointed out.

"But the sky's gray," he said, "and that only happens a few minutes before sunrise."

She shrugged. "Just because it's rare doesn't make it nice."

"Doesn't it? You're seeing the early light of a new day. Isn't it nice?" He replied.

"I guess. Sunrise is better. It's red and orange and yellow and pink and bright." She answered. 

"Fireworks are red and orange and yellow and pink and bright, too, but they're not that exciting." Vision said thoughtfully. Wanda grinned. She sent sparks up in the air.

"Fireworks are cool." She argued.

"Maybe." He conceded. His head rested on her shoulder. She smiled. 

"Vison. Move your head."

He did. "Why?"

"Did you not see this coming?" She whispered, pressing her lips to his. The sunlight began to seep over the horizon, bathing them in a reddish light. Warmth flooded through her, even though Vision wasn't very warm. She wasn't sure why it surfaced now, but she felt a deep _love_ for Vision at that moment.

_I love you, too._ He thought.

"Ahem." Steve coughed, tapping his foot. She sighed and broke away from Vision, looking at Steve tiredly.

"Ugh." Wanda groaned. "Why do you guys always interrupt us?"

"Because you two are incredibly oblivious to the fact that you do it in public places." Steve retorted. "I came here to see the sunrise, not you lovebirds."

Wanda sighed. "Fine." She got up and Vision followed.

"That's it." Steve cried. "You're getting an apartment. Away from here." 

An apartment? Away from the facility?

Wanda couldn't wait.


	14. Sing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's pretty much just Wanda.

Wanda had a newfound love for music.

Steve also hadn't been joking when he said that they needed an apartment. Within a few days, they were set up in a small apartment in the same building as Steve's.

Wanda often had her music at full volume and had to be reminded by Vision that other people lived in the building and could hear it.

Her favourite song was Enter Sandman my Metallica. Her friends had been surprised by her music taste, but she just responded with, "It's the only song I like by Metallica."

She also loved Peace of Mind by Boston, and could often be found singing it under her breath, or, when she was alone at the facility, singing it at the top of her lungs.

Many people got fed up with her off tune voice.

" _I understand about indecision-_ "

"Shut up, Wanda." Someone, usually Natasha, would snap.

" _But I don't care if I get behind!_ "

"Be quiet." They'd cry.

" _People livin' in competition!_ "

"Oh my god, Wanda." They'd say, rolling their eyes.

" _All I want is to have my peace of mind!_ "

"Are you done?" They'd sigh exasperatedly.

"For now." She'd say with a mischevious glint in her eye.

Even Vision got annoyed. "Wanda, are you finished singing that song?" He asked one day. She considered stopping, if only for Vision, but decided against it. She was more light and carefree than ever now, no use stopping.

"Could you at least wear headphones?"

It was a question she'd heard many times now. She didn't like headphones, but sometimes used them.

One question she'd been surprised to hear was, "Why do you listen to such old music?"

"I don't know." She replied earnestly.

She noticed Natasha often brought earplugs around now, but Wanda didn't care.

She had one unexpected ally: Tony. He loved her favourite band, ACDC. She often found him humming Shoot to Thrill or Thunderstruck.

Tony liked to hack the speakers and play music, and though everyone else dreaded it, Wanda found herself looking forward to it, thinking, "Which one'll he play today?"

Once, she was walking toward the training room and began singing under her breath, "If you got a hunger for what you see, you'll take it eventually-"

And Tony appeared beside her and sang, "You can have anything you want, but you better not take it from me!"

Wanda found solace in her music. She became absorbed in the melodies and the words. Though most people hated hearing it, they couldn't deny that she was calmer when she had her music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Wanda and Tony sand is 'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns N' Roses.


	15. Shut Up

Wanda walked to work with Vision obliviously. She was expecting a day the same as the others: training, talking, laughing, meetings.

She had not expected three new people and too many thoughts.

The day began normally, except for the fact that Steve, Clint, and Sam were gone. It still wasn'lt out of the ordinary: people were out on missions all the time. She got seperated from Vision, but they'd meet up again soon, right?

Then Darcy Lewis and Jane Foster arrived. Wanda liked Jane and Darcy, but their minds were extremely loud. She couldn't get too near them, she was sure she would get a pounding migraine.

Then Natasha and Bruce fought once again. Natasha was angry for the rest of the day, and anger was always the loudest. It _burned_. 

Bruce was rather calm about it. He didn't have much of a choice, really. He wuouldn't allow himself to get angry, and he could do anything he set his mind to. Usually.

The worst part of the day was when Steve, Clint, and Sam arrived back from the mission. Steve's mind was screaming, shouting, _crying_. 

One mind was unfamiliar to her. It was broken and mangled. The only info she got on him was from Steve. This shattered man was James Buchanan Barnes, Steve's best friend.

For most of the morning, people talked and thought about James. Steve called him Bucky. James's mind increased in volume over the course of the day, with thoughts like, _Where am I? Who are these people?_ And most of all, _What's going on?_

Wanda felt sad for James. She, too, had been experimented on, but at least she had her memories. At least she knew who to trust.

Everyone babbled all day, and it wasn't getting better. She longed for Vision, but he was nowhere to be found. She needed his calm mind. 

She was in the living room, which was beside Darcy's room. Once upon a time, it had been Wanda's room.

Darcy was thinking loudly. She always thought loudly, but it was even louder now. Darcy was an interesting person, so Wanda muted the TV and listened.

 _Barnes is hot. Why is everyone here so weird? Natasha's angry. I'm hungry_. And lastly, _What's this yellow thing?_

Wanda saw the image in Darcy's mind: it was Vision's cape. Well, one of them. Wanda had a habit of losing them. She hurried into the room, not bothering to knock.

"That's mine." She breathed. She needed Vision right now, even a piece of him would do. Her head punded and ached.

"What is it?" Darcy asked.

"Doesn't matter." Wanda replied. She had Vision's cape, she was fine. Everything was fine.

She sat in the living room and clearly something was going on because everyone's minds got about ten times louder. Wanda felt tears in her eyes.

_Vision?_

He didn't answer.

It was hard for her to even think. Tears cascaded down her cheeks. She needed to take action. Vision was somewhere, she just had to ask around, no matter how hard it was.

It was definitely extremely difficult.

She started with the quietest mind- Rhodey. "Have you seen Vision?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She murmured. She really didn't want to go near the people who were what felt like burning her brain from the inside out. 

She was about to go looking for Thor, but froze. She had unknowingly reached out to his mind, and didn't really want to see what he was doing with Jane in person. Well, that ruled out Jane and Thor.

Everyone else was so loud, she didn't want to be in the same room as them. They were in the room that meetings were held in. It was all too familiar- it was always loud in there. Now it was amplified by a thousand.

Still, she told herself, once she found Vision, it would be fine. Just a few more minutes of this pain and she'd be fine. 

Or not.

It got worse when she got within thirty feet of the room. Every step she took magnified it until she collapsed. She hugged her knees and fell unconcious.

She much preferred her nightmares to the crippling monstrosity that was thinking.

***

She awoke on the couch in the living room. She was surrounded by Natasha, Clint, Sam, and Rhodes. 

"What happened?" Natasha asked. Her thoughts were still burning with anger, though it wasn't directed at Wanda.

There was silence. It slowly got louder again. They were speculating.

Wanda's hands glowed red. Her eyes were red, too, she knew. 

" _SHUT UP!_ " She shrieked. Where was Vision? She was drowning and he was her raft in the endless ocean. Drowning, drowning, drowning! She repeated the word in a singsongy voice in her head. Perhaps she was going insane- it seemed like a good explanation.

"What?" Clint whispered. All four looked confused.

"Drowning!" She sung. "I'm drowning!" Her head pounded and they got louder and louder and " _I SAID SHUT UP._ " Tears leaked from her eyes. "Where's Vision?" 

Natasha closed her eyes for a moment. "He was with Helen. They were doing a procedure or something."

"Why?" Wanda demanded. She took a deep breath. The scarlet light engulfed her. 

Natasha shrank back from the light. "I'm not sure."

"Tell me." Wanda hissed. Someone had to know. Only Vision could halt her spiral into insanity- if they waited too long, she'd be too far gone.

"I don't know. None of us do." Natasha retorted. Natasha flared with emotions: _anger confusion guilt sadness worry pity fear_.

"Fine." Wanda muttered. She hugged her kness again, hoping to fall into oblivion. Her breath was too quick, the thoughts too loud- she couldn't sleep now if her life depended on it. _Who knows?_ She thought. _My life might depend on it_.

"What's going on here?" Darcy appeared in the doorway.

"Go away." Wanda growled. The red grew, touching Clint, who was closest to her.

"Ah!" Clint cried out. He clutched his head.

Wanda realized what was going on. "I'lm spreading it around. You're feeling a fraction of my pain." She could barely get the words out. Clint's thoughts instantly became louder.

"This is a fraction?" Clint demanded.

Wanda nodded numbly. She was so close- unconciousness was just out of her reach. She was almost ready to give up when-

"Wanda!" It was almost a shout. It was Vision! Vision! 

"Vision!" She cried. She mustered all of her remaining energy and leaped towards him. He caught her swiftly. "Clouds." She whispered urgently. He understood. Wanda reached into his mind and saw the clouds. Her eyes closed and she realized Vision could see her mind, too.

"Is that what happened today?" He demanded quietly, carefully keeping the image of the clouds in his mind.

"Yeah." She replied. "You're here now. I love you. I love you."

"I love you too." He murmured. He cradled her in his strong arms.

"It still hurts, Vision." She sighed. "You can't help me this time."

Vision smiled. "I can." His mind reached into hers and suddenly the clouds were everywhere. The noise was gone.

"Thank you." She choked out. She kissed him fiercely.

 _Not now,_ he thought _._

_Why not?_

_You need to go home._

_Fine._

She sighed, extracting herself from him.

"Come on, love." He whispered. He helt her close, gently rubbing her back. It felt nice after a long day of pain.

Wanda still wasn't convinced she wasn't entirely insane, but if this was insanity, she'd take it.


	16. William

"I want pet. A fish." Wanda declared. She was ready to charge off to the store right then and there, but Vision held her back and insisted she learn about them.

They determined betta fish were the easiest to take care of. 

When they got the fish, she named it William.

William was red and lived in a glass bowl with red rocks and a plant. He liked to sit around in his plant, doing nothing. William was lazy.

One night, Wanda wanted some water, she got up. It was dark and she was tired, and it mixed none too well.

The table that William's bowl was on was in their bedroom. Wanda stood up, sighed, stretched, and suddenly the bowl was shattered on the ground. It broke and the water went everywhere. Wanda managed to catch William in a bubble of water. It took immense concentration. Water always did. It wanted to go everywhere.

"Vision." She hissed. He needed to go get a cup of water.

"What?" He said. "What was that?" Though Vision did not sleep, sometimes he'd sort of turn himself off. He'd still be alive and well, but locked in his thoughts. That's, unluckily, what he was doing then.

"Please go get a cup of water." She said slowly. 

"Isn't that what you were just doing?" He was fully alert now, but clearly couldn't see very well in the dark. Wasn't he supposed to be able to see in the dark?

"Yes, but I can't. If I do, I'll drop William." She replied. Why won't he just go?

Vision finally saw what had happened after opening the curtains so moonlight shon through the window. "Alright." 

The blue fish swam frantically back and forth. Stay in the goddamn bubble, she thought. If he swam out, all her efforts would be for nothing.

"Here." Vision said. He placed the glass under William and his surrounding water, and Wanda let go. The fish fell in with a splash. "Why did we get a fish?" He sighed.

"I wanted a fish." Wanda retorted. "William's wonderful."

"You can clean up the mess." He said, rolling his eyes.

"You should. You don't sleep." She argued. 

"Fine." He shook his head to himself.

"A little help here." Wanda whispered. The floor was covered in glass and the bed was on the other side of the room.

"You can move it. Or fly." This was very uncharacteristic of him. She glanced over quizically. His eyes were light and he was grinning. Vision wasn't good at sarcasm or jokes.

"No!" She whined. "It's one AM. I'm too tired for this."

"Alright." He glided a few inches above the glass and picked her up. The glass glinted in the moonlight seeping through the window, throwing light in beautiful patterns everywhere. He set her down on the bed.

"Do you see it?" She murmured.

"Yes." He said absently.

"It's so pretty." She said. Her tiredness was catching up with her. She kissed him on the cheek and went to sleep. They'd need a new bowl for William.

"Wanda?" Vision asked.

"Are you going to sleep while I clean up this mountain of glass?" He said. It bordered on sarcasm. Was that Vision, saying somethng sarcastic? What?

"Yes." She mumbled, letting herself be smothered by the blankets.

"Such a bad girlfriend." He used the term girlfriend so casually, but Wanda had avoided the words 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend'. They seemed to casual, too childish.

"Are you joking? Girlfriend?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. No? Yes? I heard it and it seems to apply to what you are to me, so..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Okay. But here's a suggestion: don't say it in front of the others. They'll bug you to no end." She smiled under the covers. It was rare for her to see him looking so uncertain. She savoured the moment.

"Alright." He said. He was trying to sound casual, but Wanda knew what was going on. He was struggling once again to understand the complexity of humans.

"You're so inhuman it's human." She muttered. It was true. He tried so hard to be human, and he really was human, but his emotions that he felt because of it... it was so incredibly human she was surprised people thought of him as just simply an android.

"What?"

"Nothing." She grinned. "Give up on the glass and get in here with me." She said happily.

"Gladly." He replied. Every day, his speech became les robotic and more like a man.

"Hmm." She replied. The flecks of light from the glass sprinkled the room. Even though it was so simple, such a simple night, Wanda was more happy than she had been in ages.


	17. Civil War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, I did name this chapter after cap 3.

Wanda arrived at the Avengers facility to see it empty, which was unusal. Vision was also confused. Wanda wondered if something had happened the previosu night: the others were staying to watch a movie, but Wanda and Vision hadn't wanted to. 

A shout sounded. "I propose a parley!" It was Tony.

"What?" Wanda muttered to herself.

"I accept!" Was the reply from Steve. The two stepped out from their hiding places, each followed by some of the Avengers. Behind Steve was Natasha, Sam, and Thor. Tony was followed by Clint, Bruce, and Rhodey.

"What's going on?" Wanda demanded. 

Steve cleared his throat. "We're at war."

"Because of him." Tony added.

"Please explain this better." She sighed.

Steve nodded. "Last night, when you left, we wanted to watch a movie. Tony wanted to watch V for Vendetta, while I wanted to watch Insidious. We decided to vote, but the vote was equal. We began to argue, and then went to war." 

Wanda frowned. "How are you fighing in this... war?"

"Paintball guns." Tony answered. "We left our weapons back at base for the parley."

Wanda sighed. "Why aren't you covered in paint then?" Wait, they were the Avengers. "Never mind."

"You'd tip the scales in the favour of whoever's side you joined," Steve said, "so this is crucial: whose side will you choose?"

Wanda thought this all was a bit silly, but still, she was enjoying herself.

"How will I choose?" She asked. "Both sides have promising aspects."

Natasha spoke up. "You're my friend, Wanda. Join us!"

"Join our side, Wanda! Don't you want to be on the winning side?" Clint cried.

Natasha snorted. "No one's side is the winning one until she joins, dumbass. We could easily say the same thing."

"Hey!" Clint shouted.

Steve frowned. "This is a parley. Parleys are peaceful." He reminded them.

"Fine." Clint sighed.

"Don't be so dramatic, Clint." Tony hissed. "We're trying to recruit her, not send her running to the other side."

"Shut up, Tony." Clint retorted.

"Whose side do you _want_ to join?" Steve asked. 

Wanda thought for a moment. "What does the winning side win?"

Steve shrugged. "The war, and also the right to choose what movie we're gonna watch for a week."

"Hmm. Vision, what do you think?" Wanda asked.

"I don't know." He replied. "Both choices are equally promising."

"C'mon, Vision." Tony pleaded. "I created you. Heard of loyalty?"

Bruce elbowed Tony. "Why are we going for him and not Wanda?" It was a whisper, but Wanda could still hear.

Tony rised his eye brows as if to say, _It's obvious_. "Because she might follow Vision, and if she doesn't, she won't want to attack him." 

Suddenly, Wanda noticed a projection. It was two lists: One was titled Team Stark and had all of the members listed underneath it. The other was Team Rogers with all of Steve's team. "Nice list." She muttered.

"It shows us all of our information. We can see our weapons, ammunition, and if any of our soldiers are down, too." Tony explained. 

Wanda laughed. "Useful." Two names appeared under the lists. Wanda Maximoff and Vision. They weren't in either of the lists. They seemed to be waiting.

"So?" Tony pressed.

Wanda pursed her lips. "Give us a half hour to decide."

"Fair enough. Soldiers, return to your posts." Steve replied. "You have sixty seconds before we begin or you'll be caught in the crossfire."

"Alright." Wanda replied. As she and Vision hurried out, she noticed for the first time the paint spattered on the walls and furniture. Soon, she heard the sounds of war: splattering and shouting. She briefly saw multi coloured paint flying before they were out of sight.

"So, Vision. Which side?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...


	18. Civil War, Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I noticed this got past 100 kudos? Thank you!  
> Also, this chapter is longer than I originally intended. I had fun with it.

"What do you think?" Vision asked. "I think we should choose Team Rogers."

Wanda had much bigger plans than simply picking a side. "I think," she said, "that we should make our own side."

Vision thought about this for a moment. "We will be outnumbered."

Wanda shrugged. "I can immobilize them before we're even in earshot."

Vision frowned. "That would take the fun out of it."

"I know." Wanda replied. "So that's why we'll play fair." She added, "Mostly." With a mischevious sparkle in her eyes.

"What do we do now?" Vision asked. 

"We have twenty five minutes to kill." She answered. "I say we strategize."

***

The noise of the war ceased. A voice spoke, presumably from a speaker somewhere. "Your thirty minutes is up. You are safe, we are having another parley."

"Alright." Wanda muttered. She walked confidently with Vision at her side.

"What is your decision?" Tony demanded. He and Steve leaned in hopefully.

Wanda smiled. "We have chosen," she paused for dramatic effect, "to create our own side."

Tony gasped. "That's not at option!" He shouted.

Steve sighed. "We never told them they couldn't, Tony. It's our fault."

Tony couldn't argue. "Fine." Their names appeared on the list. They were handed paintball guns and some ammunition. "You have thirty seconds to take cover."

"Wait!" Wanda cried. "Why stay here? Let's go everywhere!"

Steve nodded, but added, "Who's the poor soul who'll have to clean the whole tower?"

Wanda considered this for a moment. "The team who goes down first."

"Fair enough." Steve replied. "Thirty seconds starts now." Wanda rushed back to the hallway she and Vision had been talking in. 

"Where will we go?" Vision asked.

"Let's go... in the vents!" She whispered. "We can afford to split up- we have what they don't: communication."

Vision nodded. "Okay. How can we keep silent?"

Wanda grinned. "I'll take care of that." They both could fly, so that took away most of the sound anyway. Any noises the others thought they heard, Wanda could make them forget it. "Wait!" She cried. She saw that Natasha had the same idea- she was closing in on Clint. "Natasha's up there. You go, but stay away from the west end. I'll stay down here."

"Okay." He flew up and Wanda walked quietly through the halls. It was dead silent. Suddenly, there was a rustle. Wanda whirled around, wielding her gun in from of her. It was Sam. Clearly, their strategy was to take out the others one by one instead of a head-on fight.

Wanda stepped out of the way, hurrying around the corner. She peeked out for a moment and pulled the trigger, but Sam stepped out of the way. She crept away on silent feet. She had an idea- what if she flew above them? No, they'd see her shadow. What if she took away the gravity?

That was good. Zero gravity. 

Sometimes, she'd hear soft footsteps or the faint sound of breathing, but when she investigated, they'd turn out to be nothing.

Suddenly, she came across her old bedroom. It was mostly the same, except she saw something sticking out from under the bed- it was a gun. She'd found someone's base.

She stepped out. There was bound to be someone guarding, right? If they had relocated so fast since the battle had exapnded throughout the whole building, someone had to be there. She checked. There was no one in the area. Maybe they thought they could keep their stuff safe by hiding it. They hadn't hidden it very well.

After another quick look around, she stepped in. She grabbed some ammunition. She took a gun and stowed it in the living room next to the bedroom, under the cushions of the couch where no one would find it*. She relayed the location of the base to Vision and set off. Suddenly, she stopped. She hadn't heard anyone close to her for a while, she should probably check the location of everybody.

She had made her way to the denter of the facility while everyone else stuck around the perimeters. One person followed her, not close enough for her detect in her regular checks, but not far away... 

Bruce. He must have been close to the base. It was likely Stark's base if Bruce was following her. Wanda turned the next corner and flattened against the wall, hoping it wasn't her footsteps that Bruce was following.

Sure enough, the almost inaudible tapping sound of his feet reached Wanda. He stopped. He was clearly wondering where he had gone... she could disorient him. No, that was too boring. She'd simply make a diversion. 

_Vision, where are you?_

_Close to you, love. Still in the vents. I'm sneaking up on Agent Romanoff._

_Hmm. Never mind, then._

She was going to have him make some sort of noise so Bruce would turn around, even for a moment, but he needed to get Natasha. She was almost surely going to be the last one left on Rogers' team.

Bruce crept closer. Wanda had to make a decision now... impulsively, she shot once into the adjacent corridor where Bruce walked.

She knew without seeing him that he was frowning. He didn't seem to know who he had crept up on. This made her task so much more enjoyable.

He rounded the corner, but before he could spot her, she decided to go with her earlier plan: zero gravity. He floated while Wanda stayed anchored to the ground thanks to her power. Bruce's thoughts were loud. He was complaining: _Why did I have to come across her of all people?_

He tried to right himself and failed miserably. He kept a tight grip on his paintball gun, ready to shoot at all times. His aim would be horrible as he struggled helplessly through the air, though.

"Damn it, Wanda. Just shoot already." He sighed. Wanda grinned and aimed her gun, pulling the trigger slowly. Blue paint splattered across his shirt and he sighed again in defeat.

_Banner down._

_I'm almost on Natasha. She keeps moving._ Vision replied. 

 _Alright. I want to take out Tony._ She really did want to wipe the smug look off of Stark's face. She especially wanted to watch him clean the paint from the whole tower.

Wanda ducked instinctively when she heard a spray of gunfire. Paint flew just inches above her head and she looked over to see Rhodey.

"You picked the wrong person to go after, Rhodes." She whispered. She dove out of the way and red paint sliced through the air where she had been half a moment ago.

"Did I?" He replied. She aimed her gun and pulled the trigger and- 

Nothing. She'd have to reload. She fell and rolled out of the way just in time, diving into the nearest room. It was the bathroom of all places.

Rhodey followed her. She reloaded the gun with her few spare seconds, pulling the trigger as he stepped into sight. The paint flew by his ear. If he hadn't moved at the last moment, he would have been hit.

She pulled the trigger again and it wuld have hit him but he appeared to have ripped the mirror off of the wall and was using it as a shield. Wanda didn't know he was that strong.

In the mirror, she saw her reflection, marred by paint splotches on the reflective surface. Her brown hair was sort of a mess and her eyes were scarlet. She looked pretty trigger happy. Suddenly she thought of the song Shoot to Thrill by ACDC and smiled. This all happened within the space of a moment, which was all she had before Rhodes flung away the mirror and pulled his own trigger so paint spattered onto the wall beside her. Quickly, she fired at him. He groped for the mirror againt there was no need. Wanda missed, but in his haste for the shield, she had one chance and took it, hitting him on the forehead.

"I win." She said.

"Not yet." He retorted.

 _Natasha's down,_ Vision reported. _She put up quite a fight._

 _So's Rhodey,_ Wanda replied. _Just five more people. Get down from the vents if you want._

_Alright._

She continued on. Soon, she came across an unexpected sight. Tony had Sam bound tightly to a chair in the lunch room. They hadn't spotted her yet so she ducked out of sight. Clearly, Tony heard.

"Show yourself!" He barked.

Wanda grinned. "No. If you are holding Sam hostage, do you have communication with his team?" She then added, "Communication with your own team?" She wondered if he knew he and Barton were the only two left of Team Stark.

"Not quite. I hand delivered the message in peace. I wasn't expecting you, Wanda. I asked for Steve. I suppose you're here of your own accord." Tony replied casually.

"Ah." Wanda decided not to tell him she'd taken down two of his team mates. What he didn't know _would_ kill him (though not literally), so Wanda was relying on that. 

"Have you heard from anyone else?" Tony called.

Wanda stifled a snicker. "Can't say that I have."

"Oh." The one sound was dripping with apprehension. Tony wanted her to come out from her hiding spot so the suspense could be over.

Wanda decided to enter, but she wouldn't do it here. Perhaps she'd sneak around to the other door. Yes, that was a plan. She made no sound as she crept softly around, occasionally glancing around in case of any oncoming threats. Finally, she reached the doors. She opened it only partially, so the paintballs she knew were coming hit the door instead of her. It worked. Tony, in his haste, hit the door, and Wanda hurried in as he gained composure. She fired at Sam, who was helpless in his chair. Tony fled, taking two guns with him. The second was presumably Sam's.

The only ones left other than Wanda and Vision were Tony, Clint, Steve, and Thor. Wanda walked on silent feet through the facility to find nothing for a long time, her finger poised over the trigger at all times. She was tense with anticipation. 

Suddenly, a frantic voice rang through her head.

_Wanda! I'm under attack in the training room! Both Thor and Steve are firing at me!_

_On my way!_

Wanda wasn't far from the training room, and as she neared, she heard the sounds of battle. Splats and shouts and ns being fired. She entered the room just as Vision hit Steve in a last ditch attempt at survival. He dove out of the way of a shower of paint just to find himself in another. He was hit several times on the chest, pink, green, and yellow paint signalling his defeat. Steve turned to Wanda, and she flattened herself to the ground as a blast of pastel coloured paint whizzed above her head, almost staining her unruly hair.

She shot at him, but he had his shield. He'd have a fun time cleaning it. It was so caked with paint you couldn't see its original colours. 

"Who's left?" He asked, too casual for the situation. 

"Us. Tony, Clint." She replied. She didn't even try for casual, she just sounded, to her surprise, a little menacing.

"Nope, I got Tony and Natasha got Clint right at the beginning. It seems you're the one with the most kills, then?" He retorted. 

Steve seemed different. He was usually all... heroic in battles. Maybe this was different because he wasn't protecting the people now. The only one left to protect was himself. "You could win right now." He said. 

"I know." She replied curtly. She could almost see the tension. No longer was it a battle to see who could choose the movies. Now it was a matter of pride.

"Then why don't you?" He asked. Wanda knew where this was going- she'd seen enough movies. The protagonist and the antagonist would have a long talk and then the fight would break out. No one ever thought to just shoot while they were speaking.

Wanda decided to do just that.

"Because-" she began. Steve waited. He raised his gun as she raised hers, but Wanda had half a moment's head start: Steve's leg was spattered with red paint after the pulled the trigger. She wanted to go for his chest or head, but his shield would protect him there. She had to live with where he'd least expect it.

He collapsed as if the paintball was a bullet and the red paint was real blood. "I underestimated you, Wanda." He whispered. He wiped his fingers in the paint and smeared it on his face in stripes like war paint. "This isn't over."

The others entered, paint splattered and dejected. 

"She won." Clint sighed.

"You get to clean up, Clint." Natasha retorted. "I don't care if _we_ didn't come first. At least we didn't come last."

Tony grumbled. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Sam frowned. "Who said you were doing it tomorrow?"

"But!" Tony gestured shamefully to his paint covered self.

Steve frowned. "Tomorrow." He said. "Wanda, you get to choose the movie tonight." 

Wanda hadn't really considered this. She had never wanted to win because of the movie, but it was certainly a plus. "I'll get back to you." She promised. "Now go clean up. You'll get paint everywhere." She smiled, being the only one who didn't have a drop of paint on her. She saw Steve considering shooting her then, just to wipe the smug smile off of her face. He seemed to think better of it.

"I think that we have given too much power for one so naïve, movie-wise." Wanda heard Tony whisper.

***

Pepper Potts had arrived at the facility in the evening and was outraged at the mess. When Steve explained to her what had happened, she followed the parameters and had Tony, Clint, Rhodey, and Bruce clean. They kicked the others out while the cleaned, determined to hide their shame, so Steve, Natasha, Thor, and Sam crammed into Wanda and Vision's apartment.

They watched V for Vendetta, just to spite Tony. It was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, but the next night, they were sure to watch Insidious while Tony and his team could do nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pay attention. That forgotten paintball gun will come in later...


	19. Red

Wanda's phone rang (She finally did get a phone.)

"Wanda, we need you here. You need your mission briefing for Tuesday." Steve said. Wanda was going on a mission on Tuesday, and one that she wasn't particularly excited about.

"I'm not feeling well." She lied. She didn't want to go to the meeting. Today was her day off, and Tuesday was two days away. She could hear it tomorrow.

"Alright. I hope you feel better soon." Steve replied, and hung up.

Vision frowned. "Wanda, it's not good to lie."

She shrugged. "I'm not going upstairs anyway."

Vision cocked his head. "What does that mean?"

Wanda sighed. "Upstairs. Heaven, some might call it."

He frowned again. "Why wouldn't you believe you are going to Heaven?"

Wanda noticed how he said believe. He didn't have a chance of life after death, if such a thing existed. "Look at me."

"I am. I see nothing wrong with you." He replied.

She took a deep breath. "Even my eyes are red. Red eyes are taboo in mostly everywhere."

"Why would red eyes be... taboo?" He demanded.

She thought for a moment. "The devil, I guess. Red's usually a warning sign, and I'm all red."

"I like red." Vision declared. "There are good things that are red."

Wanda smiled. "Like what?"

He smiled, too. "Apples. They're shiny and delicious and red."

"What else?"

"Sunsets and red velvet cake and William the fish and roses and..." He trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

Wanda sighed. "And?"

Vision's face lit up. "And your lips are red. I love your lips."

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You," she reminded him, "are biased. You are the only person ever who even pays attention to my lips."

"That doesn't make them any less lovable." He insisted. "If I love them, then that means your lips are nice. Nice _and_ red."

"Alright." Wanda conceded. "Red things can be nice. Now I'm sort of distracted."

Vision frowned. "Distracted?"

Wanda shook her head fondly. "We were talking about _lips_."

"Ah." He realized. "I see." He smiled and Wanda leaned in, pressing her lips to his. He pulled her closer.

Wanda's phone rang. She ignored it. Whoever was calling could wait. This was much more important.


	20. Thunder

Pietro sat beside Wanda. He wasn't dead, and he never had been. The sun was shining and everything was perfect. 

Suddenly, Wanda realized Pietro's mouth was moving, but no sound came out. He seemed to be repeating the same word, over and over. Wanda could read lips well enough: he was saying help. She realized no, he wasn't smiling anymore. Clouds darkened the horizon and Pietro's plea grew more frantic, but Wanda didn't know what to do. Why was he in trouble? Why did he need help? Abruptly, he stopped saying 'help' and seemed to shout 'duck!'

Wanda ducked, and suddenly she was greeted with an all too familiar sight: blood soaking through her brother's shirt, seeping out from his bullet wounds. His eyes fluttered and he slumped over. Wanda screamed and her power surged, creating a storm of red. Rain pounded down, soaking her hair. The fresh water mixed with her salty tears.

Suddenly, there was a crash, too loud to be thunder.

Wanda sat bolt upright in her bed. It had been a nightmare, but what was the crash? She was sure it wasn't just a sound from the dream. It was hard to see anything.

She stood up to turn on the light, only to trip over what seemed to be a large rock, or block... or something. She lay limply on the thing.

"Vision?" She called. He was at her side within moments and helped her up. There was another crash.

"What's going on?" It was Steve. He seemed to have kicked the door in. Wanda always forgot he lived in the same apartment building, only a minute away.

"Turn on the light and we'll see." Wanda replied, yawning. 

Vision glided over whatever was on the ground and flipped the switch. Huge chunks of cement littered the ground. Wanda looked up.

"It's the celing. Pieces of the ceiling fell down." She announced. She sat down on the bed.

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Why did the ceiling cave in?"

Wanda thought this was fairly obvious. "I was having a nightmare."

Steve frowned. "A nightmare did this?"

Wanda scowled. "It was about Pietro."

"Oh." Steve grimaced, taking in the sight in front of him. 

Vision nudged her. "You need to sleep."

Wanda rolled her eyes. "I'm awake now, after, you know, chunks of the ceiling falling down and Captain America kicking down our door."

"Alright." Vision replied. "But what else is there to do?"

She shrugged. "True."

"Are you okay now?" Vision asked quietly. Wanda realized she really wasn't. The ceiling catastrophe had briefly distracted her, but this nightmare was different. Worse, somehow. She'd had half a moment happy with Pietro, which had never happened before. It made the rest of the dream so, so much worse. She'd had one happy moment with her brother, and then it was cruelly ripped from her. The pain was almost as fresh as it had been when he really died. Wanda tried not to think of it. She shook her head numbly as the pain from the nightmare set in. The cement pieces quivered.

"I think you should go, Captain Rogers." Vision said. Steve nodded and left quietly, glancing over his shoulder before he was out of sight. He wanted to be there to prevent any more damage. Now, Vision turned to Wanda and asked, "Do you want to tell me?"

She shook her head. "No. I can't..." She faltered. "I don't want to think about it."

Vision nodded. "Do you think you are going to cause any more... damage?"

Wanda felt tears in her eyes. "Yeah." Part of it was if this ever happened, if she ever got too upset, shed cause damage, as Vision put it. She was a danger to all those around her but didn't dare push them away. Some would call it selfish, but Wanda didn't care, not now.

"Let's go for a walk, then." He suggested.

"I'm in my pajamas." She groaned.

Vision shrugged. "Walk in your pajamas."

"Okay." She agreed reluctantly. No one was out, anyway. She was wearing soft plaid pants and a cotton white t-shirt. It wasn't that bad.

The cold night air was refreshing compared to the warm yet stuffy air of the apartment. Vision took her hand an walked beside her silently.

"How is this helping?" Wanda asked. She still felt like she was going to explode.

"Concentrate on something." Vision said. "Make it rain. Something that will distract you and take some of the strain off of you."

"Rain." Wanda repeated. She loved rain. She almost did make the rain fall when she realized- "It was raining in my nightmare. I don't want it to rain."

Vision thought for a moment. "Rain is good. If you make it rain, you can just let it all out. I'll be here, you're okay."

She sighed, then nodded. "Okay, rain." Fat droplets fell, but it was a warm rain. Suddenly, it appeared before her eyes: the nightmare. Pietro, slumped over, soaked in blood while rain fell mercilessly-

"Wanda." Vision jerked her back to the present. 

"Vision." She whispered. The rain fell harder and thunder crashed, and Wanda's onc warm pajamas were soaked through. She didn't feel cold, though. Vision picked her up effortlessly, holding her close as her tears mixed with the rain. He kept walking tirelessly for a long time, waiting for Wanda to calm down.

It took a long time. Dawn light was on the horizon when the storm went out and a rainbow hung in the sky.

"Look." Vision whispered. "A rainbow."

Wanda smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Do you want to go inside and dry off?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"Okay." 

"Where are we? Where did you walk?" She asked.

Vision shrugged. "I walked a long way, then came back here. We're just outside the apartment building."

"Okay." Vision set her down and Wanda stretched, stiff from being curled up all night. She sat down on the wet asphalt and Vision followed. 

"You been out all night?" A voice called from behind them. It was Steve, going out for him morning run.

"Yeah." Wanda replied.

"Quite the storm, huh."

Wanda grinned. "You're welcome." Steve rolled his eyes and began jogging.

"We should go inside." Vision said. "We have to go to work." Work was a bad term for what Wanda and Vision did, but there seemed to be no other appropriate name.

"Let's skip today. I'm tired." Wanda sighed. She really didn't want to go today.

"We have to." He reminded her. They were still training, and couldn't afford to miss a day.

"How about this," Wanda suggested, "I sleep there, and you keep them off my back."

Vision smiled. "Okay, but I doubt even I could keep Agent Romanoff away from you."

"Okay, let's go." She sighed. "I'm sleeping, Natasha be damned."


	21. Chicken

Wanda arrived at work early for training, just to see that Clint had arrived even earlier and declared all training cancelled.

"Why?" Wanda demanded.

"We," he explained, "are playing chicken?"

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Clint sighed. "I'll explain when everyone else arrives."

Finally, the others came. Steve was outraged that Clint had cancelled everything they were doing for the morning, but most didn't care. They really wanted to know what 'chicken' was.

"Okay." Clint began. "Last night, Cooper asked me, "Dad, you ever played chicken?' and I said no. Later I looked it up and I found two versions and I doubt Cooper was talking about the one with cars."

"So what is it?" Natasha pressed.

"You have to piggyback someone and try to be the last one standing, I think. You have to oush everyone else off." Clint replied.

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "And we're playing that?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "We've had a paintball war, I doubt this is any different."

"It's very different." Tony scoffed. "I want to play."

"Then let's go!" Clint cried.

Tony shook his head. "We have to strategize, Hawkguy."

Clint sighed. "Okay, love." He muttered.

Everyone paired up and went into various rooms to 'strategize'. Wanda didn't really know how strategy would help in a game of chicken, but she was lucky they did go. Wanda and Vision ended up in the living room, and when Wanda flopped down on the couch, she felt something making the pillows all uneven. She reached in the cushions and found... a paintball gun?

Suddenly, she remembered the paintball gun she had stashed in here weeks ago in the paintball war. There was still a ton of paintballs in it, too. This would be their strategy.

"Vision, look what I found!" Wanda cried. 

Vision glanced at the paintball gun with a detached interest. "Is there a rue against that?"

Wanda shrugged. "If there even are rules, I bet they aren't specific to paintball guns."

"Alright." Vision sighed. "I think we go back now."

Wanda hid the paintball gun under her loose sweater, hoping no one would notice when they all met up. They were one of the first ones back, only after Steve and Natasha.

"Do you know who went with who?" Wanda asked.

Natasha nodded. "Sam and Rhodey, Bruce and Thor, and Clint and Tony."

"Okay."  Wanda said quietly. Suddenly, Natasha grinned. She was stifling a laugh. "What?"

Natasha snickered, which was very uncharacteristic. "I just thought- whatever's under your sweater- is there something under your sweater or are you just happy to see me?"

Wanda frowned. "What?" She repeated. "Are you drunk?"

Natasha shook her head, a goofy grin still plastered across her face. "Never mind." The she added, "I'm a little drunk."

Suddenly, all of the others at once arrived. "Didn't you guys strategize?" Tony demanded.

"Yeah." Wanda replied, holding bac a grin, while at the same time, Natasha said, "No."

"Go." Clint said. They started around the perimeter of the room, eyeing each other competitively. When they began, Wanda, sitting on Vision's shoulders, pulled out the fully loaded paintball gun.

"WANDA." Tony hissed. "If Pep sees you with that she will kill both of us."

Wanda rolled her eyes. She'd only met Pepper Potts once, and they were on good terms. She doubted Pepper would be here today, anyway. "Then I'll make sure to get it only on people so you don't have to clean up again."

Steve, carying Natasha on his broad shoulders, went hurtling into Tony, unbalancing Clint. "Straighten up, Hawkguy." Tony hissed. Clint stuck his tongue out, though Tony couldn't see it. In the mean time, Thor was running at full speed with Bruce on his shoulders, toward Wanda and Vision. She shot at Bruce so he was covered in multicoloured paint, but it barely slowed them down. Vision nimbly stepped out of the way and Thor almost crashed into the wall behind them.

Rhodes came after Thor, carrying Sam, whose arms were outstretched toward Bruce. Wanda leaned and shoved Sam so he wobbled for a moment before elbowing Bruce, whose arms pinwheeled before he ended up clutching Thor's head for dear life.

Vision began running and Wanda saw that they were going straight toward Clint and Tony to intercept them before the two men reached Steve and Natasha once more. Wanda grabbed Clint's arm and twisted it back so he cried out, but wrenched it out of her grip. Tony got very close to Vision so Clint could shove her with his shoulder, putting his full weight into it. Wanda nearly fell off, leaning precariously to the right, She regained her balance at the last moment to see Clint glaring at her.

Vision ran again, this time at Steve and Natasha. Natasha was barely hanging on to Steve, leaning backwards with flailing arms. Wanda knew Natasha would regain her balance before they reached her, so she aimed her paintball gun, hoping the small force would be enough to push Natasha off. It almost was, but she caught herself before she tipped backwards and onto the cold floor. "Dammit." Wanda muttered.

Vision was walking slowly, creeping up on Tony and Clint, who were stopped for the moment. She heard Vision utter one word: "Shoot." She did, aiming at Clint's back. The assassin whirled around, briefly unbalanced. Vision charged, but before they got to Tony, a force crashed into Wanda. She toppled over, bringing down Clint in the process. Bruce sat atop Thor's shoulders triumphantly.

Next, Natasha took down Rhodey and Sam while Wanda watched with Vision, leaning her head on his shoulder. Occasionally, she would shower Bruce and Thor with paintballs, which got her some sour looks, but the satisfaction was worth it. 

After that, it was a long, drawn-out battle between Natasha and Steve and Bruce and Thor. Eventually, Bruce and Thor won. They basked in their paint-splattered glory, laughing at the exasperated looks from the others.

"I think we deserve the paintball gun." Bruce announced.

They did, but that didn't mean they were getting it. "It's my paintball gun. I hid it during World War III."

Tony snorted. "Is that what we're calling it now?"

"You don't get the gun." Wanda sighed. Steve was the only one that argued, saying: "I think you should give up the gun." Wanda recalled his ominous words at the end of the paintball war: 'This isn't over.' She would do everything she could to keep the last paintball gun out of the opposition's hands.

"I don't think you should test me." She said with narrowed eyes. The mood had been light, but it was different now. All this over a damn paintball gun.

"This isn't over." Steve promised once again, leaving the room. Nine startled Avengers stared after him.


	22. The Prospect of Proposal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's short I'm sorry but I'm really excited for the next three chapters, I've been waiting to write them since I started this!!

Clint had invited both Wanda and Vision back to his home. Wanda couldn't wait to see his kids as well as Laura again. Natasha was also coming. She would have come if she wasn't invited, anyway, Clint had told Wanda quietly. 

The farm was exactly as she remembered it: cozy and welcoming and it had a certain sense of _home_ about it, even though she didn't live there. She remembered the children leaning in curiously as she demonstrated her powers. 

Perhaps what Wanda was feeling wasn't a sense of _home_ , but a sense of _family_.

***

The Vision wandered away from Wanda as she talked with Clint. The two had become good friends. Vision ended up by Laura, who was watching Nathaniel toddle around.

Vision saw the two rings on Laura's left hand. He wondered about marriage.

"Mrs. Barton?" He asked.

She smiled. "Call me Laura."

Vision nodded. "What is marriage like?"

Laura glanced over to Wanda. "Are you thinking of proposing to her?" She was smiling.

Vision thought for a moment. Yes, he liked the concept of marriage, and he loved Wanda, so maybe he did want to propose to her. "I think so."

The woman nodded. "I think you should." She paused. "She's a little young."

Vision shrugged. "I'm not even two years old."

Laura grinned. "True. It's a good idea. Marriage is like..." she struggled for words. "Like a promise, for forever."

"I think forever is a hard promise to keep." Vision said, mostly to himself.

Laura shrugged. "It's not hard if there's love." She was looking at Clint, then at her children. She was practically bursting with love, and Vision liked her all the more for it.

Vision looked away for a moment. "I can promise her forever," he paused, glancing at Laura sadly, "and this may sound selfish, but she won't always be there for me."

Laura nodded. "I know what you mean- you don't know your lifespan." She paused, then gently added, "You don't know how many years you'll have to go without her."

Vision sighed. "Sometimes I wish I were human." He really did. He could live for decades after Wanda died. He'd have decades to mourn, and though the prospect was far away, he was dreading it already. 

"Don't." Laura replied. "If you were human, you'd probably be dead by now." She said it bluntly, but it was true. He'd gone on many a dangerous mission where his nonhuman-ness had saved him. She seemed to notice he was thinking about this a lot, and decided to change the subject. Vision was grateful.

"So," she said quietly, "how will you do it? I know Wanda isn't the type for grand gestures."

Vision pondered this. "I know exactly the thing."


	23. Red Tourmaline

It was early evening, and Vision was doing something or other. He'd seemed very distracted that night, smiling and thinking and staring into space. Once, Wanda tried to look into his mind and see what he was thinking about, but he abruptly thought about something different. She realized he didn't want her to know, and didn't push it.

Wanda walked into their small kitchen to see him fiddling with something small. He quickly shielded it from view when he noticed she was in the kitchen.

Later, when it was late and Wanda was in her pajamas, Vision turned off the lights in their room and brought in a candle. It smelled like cinnamon, which Wanda loved. She smiled. She was happy, but a little confused. What was going on?

Vision had a single rose in his hand. He held it out to her. The rose was a deep red with full, lush petals.

One thing that caught her attention was the strange glint above the single leaf. The candle light glinted off... metal? She saw the thing for the first time: a ring. It was caught on the leaf so it didn't fall off. She recognized the gem in the ring as a red tourmaline, matching the beautiful hue of the flower. It was simple and triangular with hundreds of facets reflecting the candle light. Tiny crystals dotted the silver band.

Wanda gasped. "Are you-?"

Vision nodded. "Wanda Maximoff," he whispered, "will you marry me?"

Wanda bit her lip. Of course she was going to say yes! But her breath caught in her throat and it was an uncomfortably long time before she regained the ability to speak. "Of course!" She cried. "It- it took me by surprise. I will marry you with no qualms."

Vision smiled. "For a moment there, I was worried." He gently took the rose and with it the ring. He removed the ring from the flower and slid it onto Wanda's finger. She smiled and hugged Vision, whispering three words: "I love you."

He smiled. "I'm glad you like the ring."

Wanda grinned. "I like red."

"Laura helped me look." Vision asked. "I really had no idea what to do for this sort of thing."

Wanda laughed. Vision had the internet in his head, but he was so clueless sometimes. "I'm glad you went to Laura."

Vision shrugged. "I heard that sometimes people do something romantic like taking their partner to where they first met, but that might have been somewhat upsetting."

Wanda nodded. "It would have. This is very romantic, you know."

Vision smiled even wider. "I didn't think you'd like a grand gesture, or something public."

Wanda nodded. She sat down on the bed and admired the ring in the light of the candle. It sparkled and Wanda couldn't stop smiling. "When's the wedding?" She asked.

Vision frowned. "I'm not sure. Soon."

"I'll have to get a dress." She said thoughtfully. Normally, Wanda didn't like the concept of long, extravagant dresses with lots of fabric to trip over, but this was an exception.

"You'll look beautiful." Vision promised. "You always do."


	24. Engaged

Wanda arrived at the compound happily, twisting her ring around her finger. Vision was at her side. 

She didn't realized how nervous she was until she felt the urge to hide her ring so no one found out. It was irrational, but she couldn't shake it.

Vision went to talk to Steve about something, presumably training. She knew he'd let her decide when to tell everyone, even though he was excited to.

Clint approached her. "What's up?" He asked.

Wanda was taken off guard. "What?"

"You seem nervous." He replied.

Wanda's face broke out in a grin. She held up her left hand for inspection, and Clint gasped. "Did he-?"

"Yeah. Last night." Wanda replied. She could almost laugh at the delighted expression on Clint's face. Vision had mentioned he'd looked for rings with Laura, hadn't Laura told Clint? Apparently not.

"When's the wedding?" Clint demanded.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Soon."

Clint narrowed his eyes. "You two need to get your things in order. I am going to help you plan." He seemed ready to plan out the whole wedding then.

"Alright, then." Wanda said with a smile. 

"When are you going to tell the others?" Clint asked.

Wanda sighed. "Maybe I won't. Maybe I won't hide the ring and let them fill in the blanks."

"Sounds good." Clint replied. "I won't tell."

***

So that was how the day went, up until noon. Finally, someone else approached Wanda. It was Natasha.

"Is that a ring on your finger?" She demanded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Wanda grinned. "It's a ring."

"Did Vision propose?"

"Yeah."

There was a long silence. Then, Natasha declared, "I am your maid of honour."

"Okay."

***

Next, Thor spoke up. He was helping Steve with training the new Avengers when he announced, "It is unadvisable to wear jewellery while training, Lady Maximoff."

There were several baffled glances in her direction. Wanda often wore necklaces, but never during training. She wasn't a forgetful person, either. She'd never forgotten to take off her jewellery. But why was it so surprising to them?

"Wanda?" Steve asked.

"I don't want to take my ring off." She replied. She didn't want it damaged, but she doubted anything could damage her ring if she tried to defend herself.

"Why not?" Steve retorted impatiently. He then looked over at her and asked, "Since when do you wear rings?"

"Since last night." Wanda replied sharply. These people were taking a long time to catch on.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "What happened last night?" He looked like he had a good guess.

Wanda sighed. "I got engaged." The word sounded strange when she said it- engaged.

"Congratulations. You can keep the ring on." Steve replied. They got on with training.

After that, the whole building seemed to know. To her surprise, Tony approached her.

"I heard you're getting married." He looked vaguely excited.

She looked at him apprehensively. "I am." She replied cautiously. What was up with Stark?

"You," he announced, "are going to have a state-of-the-art wedding." And with that, he walked away.

She'd been engaged for less than a day and apparently Tony and Clint had half of her wedding planned out.


	25. Say Yes to the Dress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 150 kudos? wow  
> and by the way the actual wedding was originally supposed to be chapter 25 but now it'll probably be 27 I think

Wanda was going dress shopping. For her wedding dress. She was excited to wear the dress, but wasn't looking forward to the time spent choosing one.

To the bridal shop, she brought Natasha, Laura, Clint, and Lila, who had inisted adamantly on coming. 

When they entered the shop, the lady seemed to recognize Natasha, which no one was particularly happy about. The woman got over her nervousness.

"So, what are we looking for?" She asked. "I'm Donna, by the way!" Donna was cheery and very enthusiastic. Wanda wasn't sure how long she could be around this woman.

What was she looking for? Wanda didn't know anything about this kind of stuff.

Laura saved her. "My friend here is getting married, but she's pretty new to all of this stuff. So for now, let's start simple."

Donna nodded and smiled. She showed Wanda a few elegant dresses that were not very extravagant. She didn't like them very much.

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Donna asked again, not at all put off.

Wanda took a deep breath. "Something... sophisticated, but still..." she searched for the right word.

"Fun?" Donna replied.

Wanda nodded. "Yeah. Fun."

Donna set off again. Lila followed Wanda, so she lifted the little girl up and carried her on her hip. Lila stared at all of the dresses with awe.

"They're so _fancy_." The girl sighed. Wanda smiled. 

"What about this one?" Donna asked. "This one has a sweetheart neckline with a long bodice and a bustle back skirt. How do you like it?"

Wanda stared at the dress. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, but it was missing something. "Can I try it on?"

"Sure!"

The dress fit well. Donna told her more about the dress: the skirt was duchesse satin and it was a popular choice.

They entered the room where the others were waiting.

"It's so pretty!" Lila gasped.

Lila's mother was less sure. "I like it, but it doesn't fit you."

"I agree with Laura." Clint said.

Natasha was still thinking. Abruptly, she said, "You need lace. And red."

Donna thought for a moment. "Lace... I think you'd look fabulous with a portrait neckline. Ooh, and sleeves." Wanda shrugged and followed the woman.

They tried on a few more dresses before Wanda spotted one out of the corner of her eye that she loved.

It was lace with long sleeves and a portrait neckline, like Donna said. The skirt was long and flowing with an elegant train.

"It's perfect." Wanda said.

"It still needs red." Natasha insisted when she went to show the others the dress.

"It's beautiful now, Nat." Clint argued.

"Adding any embellishments or details may be very expensive. This is an expensive dress already." Donna warned

Natasha glanced at Clint, then back to Wanda. "We have the wealth of Tony Stark on our side. Wanda, don't you want red?"

Wanda shrugged.

Natasha frowned. "Wouldn't Vision like it?"

Donna looked surprised. "Vision?"

Clint sighed. "Ever heard of the Avengers?"

Donna gasped. "You're- I knew I recognized you!" Clint smiled with satisfaction, but Laura elbowed him.

"So, red?" Natasha repeated, rolling her eyes at Clint.

"Red." Wanda sighed. "Surprise me." She said to Donna.

Donna beamed. "Be back in two weeks and it will be ready."

***

Two weeks later, Wanda came home with the dress. Red rhinestones dotted the hem of the skirt and the end of the sleeves. It was even better than before. There were also some on the veil.

Vision tried to take a peek, but Wanda didn't let him. Traditionally, the groom couldn't see the dress until the wedding, right? Though this wedding was going to be anything but traditional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a lot of research on wedding dresses and if I ever have to look at one again I'm gonna burn it.  
> http://weddingplans.xyz/long-sleeve-wedding-gowns/  
> that's the dress I based it off of in case you were wondering (its the first one on the page)  
> I'm not really satisfied with this chapter but I really wanted to write about the dress and I'll be damned if I have to rewrite it


	26. Dreaming

_Pietro frowned. "You're getting married?"_

_Wanda nodded._

_"To... an android?" He asked._

_Wanda frowned. "He's a person, too." Why was Pietro being like this?_

_Pietro sighed. "Why do you want to marry a person- android- that's been alive for merely two years?"_

_"Because," she replied, "I've known him for all of the two years. He's not a child, if that is what you're implying."_

_"I still don't think..." Pietro trailed off. "I don't think this is a good idea."_

_Wanda narrowed her eyes. "I love Vision, Pietro, and he loves me. Why can't you accept it?"_

_"How do you know he loves you?" He demanded._

_"I can see into his mind, Pietro." She hissed. "I can see his every thought and he loves me completely." Pietro never acted like this: he was very accepting. She could see why he might not like any person who had affections for her, but that was because he was protective. But now he was just being mean._

_"I don't know, Wanda." Pietro looked resigned. "I can't put you off it."_

_"No," she retorted, "you can't."_

"Wanda?" A gentle voice woke her from her slumber. She realized that was the first dream she'd had of her brother since his death that didn't end with him dead once again. It still wasn't a particularly good dream, but it was progress.

"Yeah?" She replied. 

"You were talking in your sleep. You kept saying, 'Pietro'." Vision said. "Were you having a nightmare?"

Wanda sat up. "I wouldn't consider it a nightmare. He didn't die this time." It sounded blunt, but it was true.

"You're crying." Vision observed. Wanda realized it was true. She felt a wetness on her face.

"I suppose I am."

"Do you mind telling me what your dream was about?" Vision asked quietly. He wasn't prying, he was simply curious.

"Alright." Wanda agreed. She told Vision every detail she could remember.

"Do you think that this is what he would say if he were... alive?" Vision said cautiously.

More tears came. "No. He might have had a grudge against anyone who I was... with... but he would be accepting eventually."

"Don't cry, love." Vision whispered. He embraced her and held her as she cried silently onto his shoulder. She was grateful he was there. If he hadn't been there for her two years so far as an avenger, Wanda wasn't sure where she would be. She realized she would probably be dead. Yeah, she'd be dead.

"I don't feel like facing everyone today." Wanda whispered.

"I think you could stay home for today." Vision replied. 

"Stay with me?" She asked hopefully.

He smiled. "Of course."


	27. Wedding Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they got married in the comics but I was really excited about this ok

"I'm okay." Wanda promised herself. She looked at herself in the mirror: the fabric of her dress seemed so thin, she was afraid to move. Perhaps it wasn't the dress that was frail. It could be Wanda herself. The veil covered her eyes so no one could see the tears welling up.

The red rhinestones made her eyes stand out, or at least more than they already did, with the makeup Natasha had insisted on her wearing. She wouldn't want to smudge it with her tears. 

"Wanda?" A small voice said. It was Lila.

"Yes, Lila?" 

"You look really pretty. Don't cry. Today's happy."

Wanda didn't feel like crying anymore. 

"Thank you, Lila. You're really pretty, too."

***

Clint walked her down the aisle, since she had no family left. 

Vision wore a suit that didn't look half bad, to her surprise. As an android, he never wore clothes.

***

There were a few speeches. Steve, the best man, spoke of the paintball war. Clint told everyone with a laugh how many times Wanda and Vision had been caught kissing. Natasha, the maid of honour, talked about how Wanda was nervous and distant when she first arrived, and how much everything had changed. To Wanda's surprise, Sam spoke. He told everyone that she was a warrior, that she was strong, and she deserved this: being happy.

There were an awful lot of people Wanda didn't know; she suspected Stark invited most of them. Occasionally she spotted people with cameras. The press was going to find out eventually. 

Wanda sat at a table in the front of the room at the reception. She had to stand up and talk a lot. Most of the time, Vision just talked for her. She was very grateful for that.

***

The dances came around. Wanda liked dancing: she did it a lot as a child. She remembered when she was very young her father would play his favourite music and sweep her up in his arms. They'd twirl around the room, smiling and laughing. The memory was like a dream; it seemed unreal. Today was perhaps the first time since her childhood she'd felt _that_ happy. 

***

The reception lasted until the early hours of the morning. Some people got a little drunk, some fell asleep. The kids went home early. They didn't like that. Wanda smiled and danced with both Lila and Cooper before they left, much to their delight. 

"I love you." Vision kept saying.

"I love you, too." Wanda replied, and she meant it. 

***

At the end of the night, Wanda was tired but joyful. She peeled off her dress and rested her sore feet. Sleep came easily and for the first time since her parents died, all of her dreams were happy. 


	28. The New York Hall of Science

"I'm going to the New York Hall of Science." Tony announced.

Steve glanced at him quizically. "Why?" 

Tony grinned. "I want to see how superior my technology is to theirs."

"You never know, Tony." Bruce said. "I'm coming."

"Let's make it a field trip!" Tony said. 

"Alright." Steve agreed.

"I'll go." Clint piped up.

Eventually, everyone else agreed to go, so Wanda had to. She didn't really want to see a museum, particularly a science one, which seemed vastly uninteresting.

***

"How interesting." Vision said. He was examining an exhibit that Wanda thought was dull. Perhaps it was because he was so new to the world. 

He wasn't that new, she realized. He was two years old with the knowledge of Jarvis accessible at any time.

"Wanda, we've lost the others." He said suddenly, taking her hand.

"I noticed." She replied. She could search for their thoughts, but there were too many people here. Thoughts were jumbled and loud.

They stood at the edge of the flow of people, eyes raking the crowd for a familiar face. Vision stood completely still. Suddenly, a man and a woman approached them.

"Ma'am, I don't think you should touch the exhibit." The man said. She was just leaning on Vision, what was he talking about?

"What?" She replied, confused.

"This is very lifelike." The man said to his wife. 

It was then that Vision turned his head toward the couple.

"Very lifelike indeed." The woman agreed, leaning toward Vision.

"What are you talking about?" Wanda demanded. Did they think Vision was an exhibit? Apparently.

"This robot." The man replied sourly. He clearly didn't like Wanda very much.

She frowned. "He's not a robot."

The woman scoffed. "He?"

Vision moved, taking Wanda's hand once again. He stared apprehensively at the couple. The woman gasped, turning to her husband.

"That is not a person." The man declared. "It is a robot, and a very lifelike one at that."

Wanda narrowed her eyes. She knew that scarlet energy was enveloping her hands. "I think that he is a person."

"Wanda." Vision murmured in her ear. She shook her head almost imperceptibly at him.

"How do you know?" The man asked. He seemed a little afraid.

"Because," she replied, "I married him."

Suddenly, another voice spoke up. "Do we have a problem here?" Steve asked.

"Captain America?" The man said. His face went red. "Do you- do you know this thing?"

Steve raised his eyebrow. " _He_ is an Avenger. I think you should leave."

The couple's eyes widened as Natasha approached, followed by Clint, Tony, and Sam. They left hurriedly.

"You two okay?" Natasha asked. 

Wanda wasn't. She was very angry. The anger burned inside her like a torch. "I hate them." She hissed. Vision nodded, but she knew he wasn't fine. "Let's go." She said. "You guys stay." She called over her shoulder as they began to walk away.

***

"What are you thinking?" Wanda asked when they arrived back at the compound.

"You know." Vision replied. He usually didn't act like this. Something was definitely off.

"I won't look if it's hurting you." She whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong."

Vision closed his eyes. "That woman and that man, they didn't think I was a human. They thought I was a robot. I realized that is how the public will see me forever- a robot, clinging to the faint hope that he might be alive." He said. Wanda wondered if Vision could cry- he certainly would be crying, if he could. She knew she had tears in her eyes.

"They're just two people who didn't know you existed until then- given time, people will learn." She replied. "We can show them you're human." She wrapped her arms around him comfortingly. Vision was human. His body didn't matter. He acted like a human, he thought like a human. She'd seen it all. It hurt her, too, to see that some people couldn't see that which was human about him. 

"Thank you." He murmured. He sounded calm, but his mind was in turmoil. He was upset and worried and a little bit relieved, but not really, and he was mostly sad.

"Don't be sad, Vision." She sighed. "We, your friends, _know_ you're human, and that's what really matters, right?"

"Yes." He replied, smiling weakly. "I think that the public does not care about our lives, only that we save theirs." 

Wanda gasped. "No, Vision. No. I think that they do care, but they have so little experience with the unknown that it is too hard for them to understand." She would not let this incident taint Vision's positive view of people. It's where he got his kindess, and what would Vision be if not kind? She didn't want to know the answer to that.

"Perhaps you are right, Wanda. They do not understand." He paused, thinking. "That makes what the man said mor understandable."

"But still, it wasn't right." Wanda said fiercely. 

Vision nodded. "I think we should forget about them."

"Yeah."

She closed her eyes, then felt Vision's lips on hers, only briefly.

"What did you kids get up to while we were gone?" A loud voice demanded. It was Clint. He and the others had returned.

"Nothing." Vision replied honestly. Sometimes Vision could not comprehend what people were implying, which was usually frustrating, but now it was nice.

"How boring." Clint snorted.

Vision shrugged. "Other things are more important."


	29. You Need a Proper Honeymoon

"Hey." Tony approached Wanda one day.

She glanced at him. "What?"

"I don't really want to be the one to tell you this, but I heard you're going on your honeymoon and..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Spit it out, Stark."

"You need a proper honeymoon. You know what couples do on their honeymoons, right?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. And we can't."

"About that." He began. "You know, oh god, why did they make _me_ tell you this, he can probably do it, since he can change his density and... shit like that."

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "You can go now." He sighed in relief and turned around, walking confidently but quickly.

"Vision?" She called. He was at her side in moments. She showed him her (awkward) conversation with Stark in her mind. He waited a long time before replying, "You know, we could have solved that a lot earlier if someone bothered to think it was possible."

Wanda was silent before whispering, "So you're... okay with it?"

He smiled. "More than okay."

Wanda grinned mischievously. "Wanna try it out now?"

Vision seemed to be expecting this. "Definitely."

***

"Do you realize," Clint was saying to Natasha, "that they'll be fucking all the time now. All the time. Even here. In this buidling. Especially here."

At that moment, Wanda and Vision entered the lunch room late, both looking considerably more cheerful than before. No one dared to ask them why they were late. 

Well, one person hadn't heard what they'd discovered.

"Why are you two so happy?" Steve asked obliviously.

"Don't ask." Tony said quickly. Sam explained to Steve in a hushed whisper.

Wanda sighed. "Does everyone know?"

"Now everyone does."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Looking good for a person on the walk of shame."

"I'm not ashamed." She said nonchalantly. "Can we talk about something else?"

Everyone nodded hurriedly and began conversing. 

Vision spoke to her in her head. 

 _You were a virgin_. It was simply stating fact, not a question.

_I was. So were you._

_I took your virtue. Are you..._ he glanced at her worriedly.

 _I'm fine. I'm happy it was you._ She smiled at him.

"So, where are you going for your honeymoon?" Steve asked. "I assume you're having a honeymoon?"

Wanda nodded. "I don't know."

"Where do you want to visit?" Steve tried.

She shrugged. "Everywhere. I want to go to Australia, and London, and Paris, and Iceland, and Brazil. I can't choose one place."

"I want to go to Paris." Vision said quietly.

"Why?" Wanda asked.

Vision stared at her seriously. "I've never been to Disneyland."


	30. Distractions

Paris was beautiful. 

Wanda and Vision only saw some of it, though. 

They _were_ on a honeymoon.

On the third evening, as they lay silently under the fluffy comforter on their bed, Vision asked, "Wanda, do you regret anything?"

Wanda blinked. "That's a rather vague question."

He sighed. "Do you regrey anything about... us?"

Wanda shook her head. "I have absolutely no regrets." She glanced suspiciously at him. "Why?"

He shrugged, frowning. "You talk in your sleep."

She shivered. "What do I say?"

His frown deepened. "You say things like, 'Vision, stop!' And I wonder what I do to make you dream of things about me that you dislike."

Wanda shook her head. "I dislike absolutely nothing about you. My dreams... they are strange and confusing. Sometimes I dream that you run from me, or you- you..." she hesitated, "you lose yourself." She looked into his eyes, waiting for his reaction.

"What does that mean, love?" Was all he said.

"You're so... kind. I worry about what you would be without kindness." She whispered, burying her head into the crook of his neck.

He put his arm around her. "I will never be unkind, especially to you." He reassured her. "It is in my nature to be kind, no matter Ultron's intentions."

Wanda recalled the rage of Ultron she saw in Vision when he was in the Cradle, two years ago. It seemed so long ago. She kissed him fiercely. He pulled her on top of him. His touch set off electric currents in her nerves, and she wanted more. Abruptly, he pulled away.

"Wanda, we can't do this now." He murmured.

"Why not?" She demanded.

"You are using it as a distraction." He replied. "Plus," he added, "we've been doing it all day."

She rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with using it as a distraction?"

He sighed. "Because you're still worried about it. I won't have it, Wanda. This is my vacation, too." He reminded her.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I want to be happy now. I don't want to think about it. What can you do, anyway?" 

Vision thought for a moment. "I cannot do anything. That's true." He absentmindedly played with her hair. "I can try, though. How can I promise you that I will never leave you? That I will never be unkind?"

Wanda smiled. "You can give yourself to me."

Vision sighed. "It always comes back to this, doesn't it?"

Wanda brushed her lips on his cheek. "It's what I want. You'd be lying if you said you do not want this, too." She said, grinning. 

"I can't deny it." He murmured. "But first, you must promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Please, take care of yourself. If you die... this all will have meant nothing."

Wanda shook her head. "Even if- no, when I die, this life we shared will always mean something. Love does not simply disappear, my dear. But Vision, I promise."

He ran his thumb across her jaw. "Then I give myself to you."


	31. Dream a Little Dream of Me

Vision was sleeping.

He found out it was possible, and he wanted sleep. Wanda couldn't see how he'd want it. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to function with no sleep?

But Vision had explained that he wanted to dream.

So Wanda watched him dream, and Helen Cho studied them.

***

Vision was standing alone in the training room. For a long time, he just stood. Wanda watched, perplexed. Suddenly, she appeared. Of course Vision would dream of her. She dreamt of him every night.

Her dream self was wearing the same dress she'd worn the day they first met. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared intently into her eyes. He whispered two words in her ear: " _Let's go._ "

They flew upwards, and suddenly the building disappeared. The ground faded from view, and they were flying through the clouds. The sun shone down on them, making Wanda's brown hair look light and almost golden.

Vision took her hand and they flew together, diving and twisting around the clouds. Wanda was grinning ear to ear, and Vision was simply drinking in the sight of her.

Abruptly, the dream changed. The clouds turned dark and suddenly they were on the ground. Rain fell mercilessly. Vision was cradling Wanda. She realized it was the time when Wanda had needed to cry onto his shoulder after her nightmare, and, well, the ceiling falling down. She saw the dream through his eyes, now. He was staring down at her tense body, watching the rise and fall of her chest. He knew tears were mixed in with the rainwater on her face.

Vision knew Wanda's dream self was sad, but he thought that she looked so peaceful, so serene, he almost shivered when her tranquil expression contorted into one of sadness. He stroked her hair absentmindedly. Wanda liked it when he did that. Perhaps he knew, and that was why it was a habit of his.

Once again, the dream changed. They were tangled in the covers of the bed on their Paris hotel room. Wanda saw herself; hair messy, cheeks rosy, and a huge smile. Vision pulled her closer and kissed her gently. Their surroundings changed, and they were on the battlefield. Vision broke away, and Wanda's appearance had changed drastically. Her hair was in a ponytail, and her dress from the battle of Sokovia was back.

There was a threat, Vision was sure, but he couldn't see what it was. There were skyscrapers toppling, buildings collapsing, people being crushed. Vision only took a moment to get into action, lifting cars and cement up for people to escape, moving a pickup truck before it could fall. Wanda watched her dream self hurry after him, not sure what to do. The streets were familiar to her.

Suddenly, it hit her. They were in Sokovia.

Vision's objective was to save the people of Sokovia.

Wanda remembered the crushing sadness she had experienced because of all the damage her people had endured. It tortured her for so long, and still did. She knew that part of it was her fault, and she'd never go back to her home. That was her punishment.

She was pulled from her thoughts when another figure entered the picture: Ultron.

Vision backed away, toward Wanda. 

"What are you doing, little brother?" Ultron asked. Vision narrowed his eyes and shielded Wanda's dream self, glancing back at her only for a moment. She looked pained.

Wanda watched with a deep sadness.

Ultron laughed. "Do you love this girl? You and I, we are not human. We do not love, brother."

Vision shook his head. "I am not your brother, do not act as if it were so. And I do love Wanda." 

Ultron looked back at Wanda. "Oh, I know this girl, brother. She ruined my plan. She ruined _me_."

Vision closed his eyes for a moment before leaping away from Wanda and speeding toward Ultron.

Wanda couldn't help herself from shouting, "Vision, no!" She'd expected silence- after all, she was a mere spectator. But the words came from her dream self's lips.

Suddenly, she was her dream self. She could control herself. She wondered how it was possible, if it was Vision's dream.

"Wanda, I must do this." Vision called. The dream changed. "Wanda, I must do this." He repeated. But this time, his hands were on her throat.

"Vision?" She gasped, but the word was barely a whisper, almost no sound escaping her parched throat and chapped lips.

Vision awoke.

***

"What happened?" Helen demanded, ready to take notes.

Vision's face contorted into a look of terror. "I dreamed," he murmured, "and I saw my worst nightmare."

Helen nodded. "Tell me more."

Vision's breath quickened. He did not have the need to breath, but Wanda suspected it was instinct. "Can we do this... later? I won't forget anything."

Helen nodded curtly and left.

"Did you... did you see it all?" Vision asked. He took her hands, though his hands were shaking. Wanda held them firmly and reassuringly.

"I saw everything."

He turned away. "I was going to hurt you." His voice quieted. "That is my worst nightmare. That you are dead, and it is my fault."

 Wanda tilted his head toward her. She leaned in so their lips were almost touching and whispered, "You will never hurt me."

He blinked. "How do you know, love?"

"Because," she replied, "you love me."

"I do." He said, lips curling into a smile.

Helen entered the room. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I really need to hear about this."

"Alright." Vision agreed. Wanda got up, but not before pecking Vision on the lips. His hand fell limp without hers to hold.


	32. Don't Speak

_Vision is fighting a monster. It is a huge, hulking thing with white slimy skin._

_No one knows why it is here or how it got here. They only know they must defeat it._

_It swings a clawed hand at Vision. He is fast and agile, but the thing is fast too, depsite his size. The claws tear through him, and Vision falls to the ground. The last thing he sees before everything goes black is the devastated face of Wanda. He knows he cannot die. For her._

***

Vision woke up in a hospital bed, to his surprise. He realized it was a hospital bed in a lab. He was strapped down. He wondered if he had fought them and didn't remember.

He felt distracted. His eyes kept focusing on the smallest details: the worn edges of the book lying on the table beside his bed, the scratches on the screen of the phone. The contrast of his hands againt the stark white.

He wondered whose phone and book were lying on the table. They certainly weren't his.

"Hey, Red. You're awake." A voice said. It was Natasha. She entered the room and sat down on the chair beside his bed. "How are you feeling?"

Vision waited before replying. "I am feeling..." his voice cracked, which was strange. "I am feeling... not good." He was sore all over, and he was certain there was a reason he was covered in bandages.

"Understandable." She replied. Vision noticed the circles under her eyes, and the loose strands of hair and how the light made the hair shine.

"You are tired." He observed. He couldn't seem to make his voice any louder.

Natasha smiled sadly. "I know. It's just with you, and Wanda, and the press..." She trailed off, glancing away.

"Wanda?" He tried to pull his hands from the restraints, and winced. "What happened to her? Why am I restrained?"

Natasha exhaled slowly. "She was hurt really badly. She's been alseep for the two days we've been back. She should wake in a few hours." She paused. "You were fighting back... I guess you won't remember. You were insisting you were fine, which you weren't, and you were asking about her."

Vision didn't need to ask who 'her' was. "She's... hurt?" He suddenly noticed the nurses and doctors hurrying around. There were so many. That could only mean... "Who else is hurt?"

"Steve." She sighed, trying not to make her sadness too apparent. "And Clint."

"But his kids!" Vision whispered. He went limp, closing his eyes. "Steve and Wanda..."

"Steve and Clint will be fine in a few weeks." Natasha looked away. "You and Wanda are a different story."

"When can I see her?" He demanded.

Natasha shrugged. "When she's awake. When you can function without this bed."

Vision frowned. "So in a while."

"Nah. Maybe we can move one of you."

Vision fell asleep.

***

Vision awoke to see a pair of scarlet eyes peering back at him.

"Vision?" Wanda whispered. 

He nodded. "I'm awake. Are you alright?" After further observation, Vision discovered someone had rolled Wanda's hospital bed beside his.

"No. I will be someday, though." She closed her eyes. "You?"

He shook his head. The movement hurt, and he hisssed in pain. "I can't move."

Wanda was silent. Vision stared at her messy brown hair, at her pale skin and rosy cheeks. Her slender hands sparked red.

"I love you." He whispered as he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him.

She shook her head. "Shh. _Don't speak_."

 _I love you too_ , her voice choed around his head.

_What happened?_

_After the battle, I was awake... and I heard you screaming. They sedated me before I could ask._ Her voice was sad, even in their minds.

Details were seeping back now. He remembered being in unfathomable pain, so much he couldn't stop himself from screaming like an animal. He remembered insisting he was fine, that he needed to be out there. He remembered Wanda.

***

The recovery was long and painful. Vision was feeling much better, but he had a lot of torn tissue and he still hurt all over, though it wasn't nearly as bad.

Wand was worse. She walked with a cane and a shuffling gait, and barely spoke. She was always tired, and when the elusive sleep came, it was riddled with nightmares. 

They stayed together. Sometimes Vision carried Wanda around when she got fed up with the cane. The doctors advised against that, but no one really paid attention. Vision never learned the details of what happened to her. He knew that if he did know, it would make everything worse.

One day, Wanda decided to attend lunch.

"I see you have decided to join us." Steve said. "How are you feeling?"

Wanda frowned. "I wish people would stop asking me that." She said almost inaudibly. "You know perfectly well it's awful."

Steve looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "Still, are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I'm always tired and I walk with a goddamned cane. I'm anything but." She sighed and leaned on Vision's shoulder. He ignored the sting of pain and stifled a wince, wanting her to be comfortable.

"Okay, then." Steve said. "Can you go out?"

"I can," Wanda replied, "but what can I do?"

Tony grinned. "Well..."

And that was how Wanda and Vision ended up one of Stark's... things.

***

"...And they will be okay. Here they are!" Stark announced. Wanda shuffled onto the stage, trying not to lean on the cane too much. Vision was at her side.

She wore a knee-length red dress that probably cost more than everything in her entire apartment. She'd been nervous at first about shwoing her new scars, but she was confident now. Vision wore a suit he thought was extremely uncomfortable, but he did it for Stark.

Wanda stood awkwardly on the stage by Stark, gripping Vision's hands tightly.

"Well, these two are okay. I know the public has been worried, but they're survivors." He glanced over at them. "Vision was beat up pretty good, which is surprising, considering-" 

Wanda cut him off by whacking him with her cane. The audience tittered.

Stark sighed. "Considering he's so... strong..." that earned an approving nod from Wanda. Someone from the audience shouted, "Why's she holding his hand?"

Stark rolled his eyes. "Old news. They're married." The audience roared, and Wanda hit Stark with her cane again. "Hey!" He cried. "They're giving you their _approval_!" Wanda sighed, and considered htting him again.

"I know some think these two are weird, but we're the Avengers." He glanced apprehensively at Wanda's cane. "We've got a an who was frozen under water for seventy years and _Thor._ A psychic and an android-" Wanda jabbed his chest with the cane. He put his hand on his chest and pretended to be hurt. "I don't really think that, Maximoff. A psychic and a person." He glanced at Wanda, who was seething.

Her voice was shaky when she spoke. The audience was silent. She could hear their breathing. "Vision is a person." She said. "And anyone who- anyone who thinks otherwise, can- can..." she trailed off. "Well, we're the Avengers. Don't dare." The people laughed.

And they stepped off the stage. Wanda collapsed onto a chair, throwing the cane aside. Vision opened his mouth, but Wanda shook her head.

"Don't speak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt final to me, but I don't want to end it yet, and I also really wanted to write this, so don't worry.


	33. Netflix and the Little Agents

"Wanda, I think it's time you got off Netflix." Vision urged. Wanda had been watching _Doctor Who_ all of the previous day, and she was trying to squeeze an episode in before they left for training that day. 

"Yeah, but I'm about to start the last episode of series four!" She protested. "And _Rose_ is back! And Jack!"

Vision sighed. "Wanda, we've got to go. Later." He said. Wanda rolled her eyes and reluctantly conceded.

The compound was boring. Well, it was boring because training was cancelled. However, when Wanda discovered the reason it was cancelled...

"We'll be working with some of the Little Agents today." Tony announced.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "SHIELD agents." She paused. "They're very... interesting."

"How would you know?" Tony demanded. He was especially irritable today.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "I know."

He grinned. "Oh, did Maria tell you?"

"Shut the fuck up, Stark." Natasha growled, and before he knew it, Tony was lying on the ground.

"Point taken." He muttered.

Vision nudged Wanda. "Is there something going on between Agent Hill and Natasha?"

She nodded. "I think so. I think they're together."

Vision was silent for a moment before smiling and saying, "Good for them."

***

"Oh my!" A girl with a british accent cried after bumping into Wanda. "I'm so sorry, Miss Maximoff."

Wanda grinned. This _was_ going to be interesting. "Call me Wanda. It's alright,...?" She trailed off, waiting for a name.

"Simmons." The girl answered immediately. "Jemma Simmons." She seemed to be exploding with questions.

"What do you want to ask?" She said, amused.

Jemma sighed with relief. "Well, I've been really excited to see you because I was wondering about the science behind all of your abilities, you see, and-"

Another girl sidled up beside Jemma. "Jemma here gets really excited about science." She said, then glared at Jemma while adding, "She doesn't mean to intrude."

Wanda laughed. "It's fine."

"I'm Skye, by the way." The girl said. Vision appeared beside Wanda, and Jemma's face lit up.

"Skye," she muttered, "that's the Vision."

"I know." Skye replied exasperatedly.

"The Vision!" Jemma said with a sigh of admiration. "The science behind him, it's incredible!"

"Incredible science indeed!" Another boy with an accent cried. "I'm Fitz."

An exasperated Clint stumbled over. "So that's where you went." He muttered. Looking at Wanda, he said, "I see you've met FitzSimmons, and Skye. I was supposed to keep track of them."

"I don't like being the third wheel!" Skye cried. "Anyway, Fitz is the third wheel here."

Wanda understood immediately, finally understanding the closeness of Skye and Jemma.

"That's not important." Jemma murmured, biting her lip.

Wanda shrugged. "I don't care."

"We should get back to work." Fitz announced.

Jemma smiled. "Allons-y!"

Wanda perked up. "Alonso."

Skye blinked. "What?"

Jemma's face was awash with happiness. "Allons-y, Alonso."

"I'm on series four." Wanda said. "No spoilers." Jemma was certainly interesting. Skye, too, had an funny air about her. FItz was... well, Fitz was practically a male Jemma. Wanda liked this trio.

"Series four's lovely." Jemma said eagerly. "Series five is even better, even with Ten gone..." She inhaled sharply. "Sorry, spoilers!"

Wanda shook her head. "I knew it was coming."

Fitz tugged on his friend's sleeve. "Simmons, we've got to go." She began to walk away with Skye, then nervously turned around and waved at Wanda quickly. Wanda waved back, smiling. 

"They're very... interesting." Vision said, casually taking Wanda's hand.

She nodded. "I like them."

They went to the living roon, where the other Avengers were collapsed on the couch. "What's going on?" Wanda demanded.

Tony rolled his eyes. "The Little Agents are tiring."

"Not tiring," Steve argued, "but, a little... energetic."

"I like them." Wanda said with a shrug. What had made the other dislike them?

"That makes one of you." Tony muttered. "The Simmons girl was very excited... about science? Which I admit is  good quality, but she's..." he paused, trying to find the right word. "Too excitable."

"I think she was about to go off and talk on about science," Wanda replied, "but Skye stopped her." As an afterthought, she added, "What did you think of Fitz?"

"You got all three?" Natasha sighed, looking appalled. 

"You didn't?" Wanda retorted, confused.

Natasha shook her head. "I got Skye, and she was... scared, to say the least, when she saw me." She paused, then added after a moment's hesitation, "She said I was her favourite Avenger."

"She did not." Tony hissed.

"Yeah. She did."

***

Jemma, Skye, and Fitz were headed to the Avengers' living room - _the Avengers' living room!_ \- and were going to watch TV after a long day of not much work. Well, they _planned_ to watch TV. 

When Jemma pushed open the door, she saw Wanda and the Vision locked in a passionate embrace. "Oh my!" She squeaked. "Sorry!" and she immediately shut the door.

"What's going on in there?" Skye demanded, glancing at the door .

Jemma frowned. "Wanda Maximoff and the Vision are kissing in there."

Skye's face fell. "I really wanted to watch some TV. But you know, they're adorable together."


	34. Extraordinary

The SHIELD agents hadn't left yet, and seemed very, very excited to be able to stay in the same place as the Avengers. Wanda watched with amusement their hushed conversations and barely disguised staring. They spoke of little things, usually. 

One word, spoken by Skye, put Wanda on edge.

"Vision," she muttered, turning her head away from the young agents, "please tell me everything you know about Skye."

Vision frowned. "Why?"

Wanda closed her eyes. "I wasn't listening to them, but I was near them, and I-I-" she faltered, burying her head in the crook of Vision's neck. "I heard her say _Strucker_." She knew that Strucker was gone, and that she had no reason to be afraid of the man anymore, but even the name still instilled fear in her heart.

"I see." Vision said, rubbing her back comfortingly. The calming motion slowed Wanda's heart rate back to normal, but did not stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. 

"I don't... I can't be... I'm still scared of him." She muttered, absentmindedly tapping her fingers to a tune she couldn't recall the name of.

Vision said nothing for a long time before whispering, "You should talk to her."

She sniffed. "Skye?" She didn't want to talk to anyone but Vision right now. And did she really want Skye to see her like this?

Vision nodded. "I think it might be good to ask her about it."

Wanda shivered. "But why would she know about Strucker?" The details of that dark time were kept secret, which Wanda was very glad about. "I won't talk to her."

"Then I will find out everything I can." Vision promised, and suddenly Skye was close and her thoughts were shouting. No, that wasn't thoughts. But surely it wasn't Skye? It was vibrations, reverberating through the air around Skye, faint enough that only Wanda could detect. And probably Vision, too.

"What is that?" Wanda whispered, face still buried into Vision's shoulder.

"What?" Skye replied immediately, glancing around suspiciously.

Wanda drew in a shaky breath. "Around you... the air... it's- it's _shaking_."

Skye bit her lip. "I'm... inhuman."

"Why were you talking about Strucker?" Wanda blurted out suddenly, surprising herself. She turned to face Skye.

The girl couldn't meet her eyes. "His experiments on the Inhumans."

"Is that what we're called?" Wanda hissed harshly.

Skye's eyes widened. "We?" A realization seemed to dawn on her. "I never made the connection until now... his experiments... and you." She seemed to be talking to herself more than anyone else. Abruptly, she looked up. "I have to go."

Skye hurried out of the room, and Wanda watched as the air rippled behind her. She collapsed onto Vision once again, and he picked her up and held her close like he always did. Now it was all at the forefront of her mind: Strucker, the experimentation, and _Pietro_. A soundless sob escaped her, and Vision glided away, presumably to somewhere more quiet. Wanda enjoyed the smoothness of his movements. She could be floating now, were it not that she could feel a crushing weight pulling her down, down, down. 

"It's alright now." Vision whispered in her ear, lips brushing against her hair.

"Inhumans." Wanda choked out, looking into his bright blue eyes. "That's... it means not human. Why would they call them- or us- that?"

Vision said, "I don't know." He wiped away her tears, and she could see the sadness blossoming in his eyes as she cried. It pained him to see her like this, she knew.

"I'm... not human?" The concept was strange and fitting to Wanda all at once. One the one hand, surely she was human, but on the other, it was accurate. Her eyes were red and her hands sparked with power unknown, unique, and peculiar. 

Vision shook his head. He leaned in, and they were close enough to kiss, but all he said was, "You're human, love. You're not ordinary, but you are most definitely human."

She closed the distance between them, embracing the cold sensation of Vision's lips. His hands found the small of her back, pulling he closer. He kissed her gently until she pulled back, gasping for air. He took her hands, and she leaned her head on his chest, sighing.

"Well," someone said, "I see I've interrupted something, well, I'll be going then." It was Jemma. "Carry on." She backed out awkwardly. Wanda rolled her eyes. Vision's luminescent blue eyes sparkled as he said, 

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She murmured. She embraced him. "I don't like it. Feeling all this. It hurts."

Vision smiled, running his hands through her hair. "I know it hurts, love. But humans are equipped to deal with these emotions. It's what makes them human. And-"

Wanda interrupted. "Us. What makes us human. You're human, too."

He sighed. "Alright. It's what makes us human. And you are human, Wanda. Not ordinary, but still human." He paused, closing his eyes. "You are extraordinary." He then added with a smirk, "Why do you think I married you?"

"Because you love me."

"That's true, too."

Wanda smiled sadly. "I'm glad I have you, Vizh."

"Vizh?"

"Vision is too long."

"I see."

"I don't know what I would do without you." She mumured. He tilted her head up and brushed his lips against hers.

"Without me, you'd be perfect." Vision said matter-of-factly.

"What?" What did that mean?

"I mean that you're always perfect, love, with or without me. I'm just glad I get the chance to love you."


	35. Fame

Wanda knew that Stark told her the press would be all over them after that announcement they'd done, but it was worse than ever, and she really didn't want to deal with it today. Today, they were doing extra training, which meant Steve was going to make her run. It wasn't that she wasn't fit, but running was the bane of her existence.

"So, Mrs. Maximoff, are the rumours true?" It was another reporter as they approached their (new) car. She hid her face and kept silent, keeping a straight face. If the public was going to see her, they weren't going to see her _happy_. That's what they wanted. 

But she was wondering: what rumours? Nothing was going on that she knew of. She waved away a microphone, taking Vision's hand. Usually, she wouldn't display even the smallest affection in the public. It would feed the bloodsuckers. (Vision kept having to remind her that the reporters were humans, not vampires.)

Under her breath, she muttered to Vision, "If we leave seperately, will it stave off the vampires or lead them on?"

Vision frowned. "They will think something is wrong and it will get worse."

"Right." They stepped into the car. Wanda was thankful for whoever created tinted windows. "Vision, why are they so interested in us? We're not celebrities."

"Really, you are." Someone said. What if it was a vampire?

Wanda turned around and began choking whoever was back there. Her powers were useful, no matter how much she despised them sometimes.

"Relax." The person choked. "It's me."

She finally got a good look at the intruder. "Natasha?" She said incredulously. She let the woman go, eyeing her suspiciously.

Natasha sighed. "They told me not to surprise you. I told them you couldn't get the black widow." She shrugged. "I did not factor your powers into that."

Wanda laughed. "Why are you here?" As an afterthought, she added, "Why do you say we're... _celebrities_?"

"I was told to bring you to Stark's tower." Natasha announced. "And two superheroes, dating? It's the biggest thing since Kim Kardashian called her kid North."

Wanda shrugged. "That wasn't that big."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You aren't american."

"Why are we ging to Stark's tower?"

Natasha ignored the question. "Did you know that you two have a ship name? _Scarlet Vision_."

Wanda sighed. "The tower?"

"Stark arranged..." Natasha faltered and looked away.

"What the hell did Stark arrange?" Wanda demanded. Nothing made the Black Widow _falter_ , unless...

Unless it was something that was going to make Wanda so mad even Natasha Romanoff was afraid.

" _Did he arrange a meeting with the vampires?_ "

If Vision could, he would have paled then. "Natasha, please don't tell me..."

"Sorry, guys." Natasha said sympathetically.

Wanda seethed. "Why did he even send you?"

Natasha blanched. "He wanted to see your reaction." It was then Wanda noticed the glasses on Natasha. She snatched them away and snapped them in half, then broke the lenses for good measure. 

"I will _kill_ Stark." Wanda hissed. The glasses turned to dust in her hand. "Oops." She said tonelessly. Natasha winced.

"He's getting back at you for putting Thor's mead in his drink." The assassin blurted out. 

Wanda sighed. "Well, now he's internet famous and definitely has a few dozen memes of his face. I'm not going to a conference with the vampires because one embarrassing video of him went viral on youtube."

Natasha giggled. "He was really drunk."

Wait, Natasha doesn't giggle. "Are you drunk?"

"It was the only way I agreed to this." Natasha retorted nonchalantly.

"Hey," Wanda asked, "one of the vampires asked if 'the rumours' were true. Were they being delusional again, or is something going on?"

Natasha froze. "I was hoping that wouldn't spread."

"What wouldn't spread?" Wanda growled, hands balling into fists. 

"I think you should just come to the tower." Natasha said. She was poised to flee the car at any moment. Wanda flicked her wrist and Nataha was choking again. "Fine, fine, he told a random reporter you were cheating and mentioned yiur close relationship with the SHIELD agents."

Releasing Natasha, Wanda breathed heavily. "What was he insinuating? Wait, don't answer that. I'm not cheating. I am going to the tower and I'm going to slap him so hard he'll _wish_ that video was the worst thing I've done to him."

***

Wanda stormed into the tower alongside Vision, not caring that the vampires' cameras were flashing. Stark welcomed her with a grin. A crack sounded as her hand came in contact with his face.

"Wanda!" Vision cried as Stark rubbed his jaw. 

"Oh no." Wanda feigned surprise. "It appears I have punched a vampire and broke his jaw." Yes, Stark was demoted to vampire. Until vampire, Stark was the lowest there was.

"Wanda, let's go." Vision muttered, pulling her away. They walked purposefuly back the car, passing a (surprisingly) awed Natasha. Maybe she was awed because she was drunk.

They arrived at headquarters shortly after. 

"Wanda," Steve began, "I know what happened."

Wanda sighed. "I broke Stark's jaw. I know. It was a good moment."

Steve shook his head. "We're a team, Wanda."

She snapped. "No, Steve. He's not allowed to 'get revenge' on me." She shouted. "His bombs killed my parents. I thought I was going to die for two days because of him." She crossed her arms. "Stark doesn't deserve the satisfaction of revenge." She realized she had conjured up a red mist. It was a raincloud above her head. She almost laughed. It was like the cartoons she watched before Stark killed her parents and left her homeless.

"Come on, love." Vision said quietly. She let herself be led away. They reached her old room, where they sat on the familiar bed. "I didn't know you had so much pent up anger." Vision murmured.

She shrugged. "I didn't, either." 

"Do you think you're okay now?" He asked softly. 

Wanda bit her lip. "It's just, it's just, he doesn't get to inflict anything more on me. He thinks he's forgiven because I'm friendly with him." She sighed. "He doesn't get to inflict any more pain." Suddenly, she threw herself onto him, locking Vision in a passionate, fiery kiss. For a moment, he melted into it, but then gently pushed her away.

"Not the time, love." Seeing her vaguely disappointed look, he added, "At home. Now, a distraction is the last thing you need."

"Really," Wanda said, "I think a distraction is exactly what I need."

"I think that you've been holding these feelings in for a while and you need to get them out." Vision replied, taking her hand. "And revenge is not the right way to do that."

Wanda's shoulders sagged. "I think that it is." She protested. "Because I feel much, much better after breaking his jaw." Witha smug smile, she added, "His jaw is as fragile as his ego."

Vision chuckled. There was a knock at the door. Vision opened the door, and when Stark stepped in, Vision looked at her pointedly. _Now's your chance._

"Look, Wanda-" Stark began, but he was cut off.

"Leave me alone, you bastard." She hissed. Looking appalled, Stark backed away. 

"So much for that." Vision sighed, closing the door after Tony. 

"I don't have to forgive him." She hissed.

Vision nodded. "You're right, you don't. But you could at least act civilized around him."

"I could, but do I have to?" Wanda groaned, lying down on the soft bed.

He nodded. "You should."

"Fine. But I won't talk to him unless I have to." She muttered. "Let's go." When she opened the door, Stark was standing there. "How pathetic," she growled. "No loitering." Ste stomped on his foot. "That was for telling them I'm cheating."

Stark winced. "It's at times like this I'm glad you don't wear heels. The only thing that could have been worse that that is being impaled with the heel of a stiletto."

She snorted. "It's at times like this I wish I owned a pair of heels. I'd have loved to impale you with a shoe." She stormed off. 

Natasha soon sidled up beside her. "You know," the assassin observed, "you're very snarky when you're angry." At Wanda's silence, she said, "Once, when I was undercover with Stark before he was an avenger, he thought he could beat me in a fight."

Wanda laughed. "I'd kill to see that." 

"Wanda!" Steve cried. "We've got to train!" Damn it, he was still making her run after this mess.

"Vision," she murmured, "do you think that Steve will let me leave?"

"I'm fairly sure he can hear you." Vision replied.

"I can." Steve said. "I will not let you go."

"How fast can you run?" Wanda muttered to herself.

Steve smiled. "That's the spirit."

She waved him away. "No, no, not that. Wait, I can fly." No, she was running away from training. Vision said they could continue when they returned home. She was simply speeding up home.

"You have to train, damn it!" Steve shouted after her as she sped away, followed by Vision.

She grinned. "Language, Steven!"


	36. Stay Away From Stark's Parties

Vision stirred the tea he was making absentmindedly. He'd made it for Wanda, but she was busy right then. He was just going to leave the kitchen when Tony approached him.

"Hey, Vision." He said.

"Hello, Tony." Vision said poliely. He and Tony weren't exactly close, so why was the man talking to him now?

Tony sighed. "I've been invited to this party, and they want to invite you."

"Why would they want to invite me?" He asked. Vision did not get invited to parties. He was rarely regarded as human, and that usually crossed him off the guest list.

Tony sighed again. "It's for..." he trailed off. "It's a party for scientists, really. And my guess is they just want to get a good look at you, see what makes you tick. I dunno if you'd want to go to something like that."

Vision pondered for a few seconds. "I will go."

"You can bring Wanda if you want. Bruce is going, too." Tony replied. Vision almost expected him to be relieved that he'd be going, but Tony only seemed more tense.

"Are you going with Ms. Potts?" He asked. Vision suspected not many women would be going due to the questionable opinions of Tony's colleagues. Wanda would not like that at all.

Tony shook his head. "She's got an important meeting the night of." He explained.

"Will that be all?" Vision asked tersely. Tony nodded and left. Vision soon began to regret his decision to go to this party. Why had he agreed to in the first place? Perhaps it was the fact that he'd never been to a party Tony himself hadn't organized. It was too late now. He shrugged and picked up the hot mug of tea he'd all but forgotten about. He set off to find Wanda, to give her the tea and ask her about this party. She hated social events like this, filled with fake smiles and awkward conversations.

He could always just tell Tony he'd changed his mind. After all, Tony had seemed a little disappointed when he agrred to it- but why? If he asked, Tony would most likely deny it. He could contact Pepper. Yes, he would ask Pepper. But first, Wanda.

***

"Why did you agree to go to it?"

Wanda's reaction was negative, but no worse than expected. 

"I don't know. But will you go with me?" He replied. Wanda sipped her tea, deep in thought.

"Yes, fine. But I'm staying with you all night, and we're not staying very long." She said with a sigh. "But something else is up, isn't it?"

Wanda was very observant, even when she wasn't using her powers. "Yes. When I agreed, I expected Tony to have at least a positive reaction, if he was going to react at all. But he just seemed more tense. I was planning on asking Pepper about it."

Wanda nodded. "Good idea. I will go with you."

***

Pepper Potts's office was immaculate. Not one paper out of line, not a speck of dust on her desk.

"Hello, Vision, Wanda," She greeted them warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, I assume Tony told you about the party that he... is going to?" Vision began.

Pepper nodded. "The one that you are invited to?"

"Yes. Well, when I told him I would go, he seemed almost disappointed."

Pepper sighed. "He did tell me about this issue, too." She looked away. "He's sure they want you to go just so they can inspect you, and I'm afraid I agree with him. He doesn't want you to have to do that. I don't think he wants technology as powerful as you being imitated, either." She explained.

Vision nodded. "He did mention they wanted to... to quote him, 'See what makes me tick'."

Wanda gaped. "No, we aren't going if they are going to analyze you." She declared. "That is not acceptable."

Vision glanced between Pepper and Wanda. "Well, Ms. Potts, thank you for your time. Wanda and I will be going now." Wanda followed Vision, jaw set angrily. When they were out of earshot of Pepper, she exploded.

"You knew they are going to analyze you and you still agreed?" She cried. "Why?"

Vision shrugged. "It didn't seem like an issue at the time." 

She sighed. "It is an issue. They aren't inviting you as a guest, they're inviting you as a- an experiment. Don't you see?!"

Vision closed his eyes. "Then we shall go to prove them wrong."

"I suppose."

Vision smiled suddenly. "Imagine their surprise when they seen I've arrived at their party with my wife."

Wanda couldn't hold back a small grin. "Imagine."

***

"Tony Stark!" A short, stout man welcomed them, well, mostly Tony. 

Another man appeared beside him. Upon seeing Wanda, he said, "Oh, I thought things were going well with Pepper?"

The first man laughed. "Yeah, isn't this one a little young for you?"

Wanda was standing between Tony and Vision. On Tony's other side was Bruce, looking uncomfortable. She spoke up indginantly. "You think I am here with _him_?" 

The man laughed again. It was an ugly laugh. "I don't suppose you're here with Banner, are you?"

Her hands curled into fists. "I'm here," she said, suppressing hostility, "with _Vision_ , my _husband_."

The man's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Well, come in." 

The party was filled with men in suits with women entirely too young for them looking over their shoulders. "Aren't there any women here? Scientists, I mean?" She demanded before the man left.

He looked surprised. "You'd be the first to ask that." She resisted the urge to strangle him as before he continued. "There's Jane Foster." He said the name distastefully.

Tony looked up. "Jane's here? I haven't seen her in a while." After the man left, Tony quickly explained, "Jane won a Nobel prize, one that that guy's friend could've one, so he doesn't really like Jane."

"I see. Well, this is going to be a long night." Wanda said. Vision was staring around curiously. He didn't seem to realize that he was getting a lot of attention himself. The suit he was wearing didn't gain him much camouflage.

Bruce spoke up. "Let's go see Jane." He seemed desperate for a familiar face. Wanda had occasionally seen Jane, but never really spoken to her. At least it was someone she could trust. Wow, she was thinking about who she could trust at a _party_. 

They found Jane soon after, dressed in a simple black dress. Wanda felt very overdressed in a gauzy navy blue gown, but she couldn't exactly change now. Pepper had pretty much forced her into it, excited to have someone to dress up. 

Beside Jane was another girl that was always with Jane. The only thing Wanda could remember about her was that her name was Darcy.

"Oh, hello!" Jane said. "I didn't know you were coming, Bruce!"

Bruce smiled. Apparently, the two were good friends. "You know, that piece you write about..."

Soon, Jane and Bruce were deep in science talk. Wanda couldn't understand half the words they said, and was about to drag Vision away when a tall man with a condescending look and a comically curled mustache approached.

"Ah, this must be the Vision!" He said with a vaguely British accent.

Vision tensed up but nodded. 

He glanced at Wanda. "And this is your wife, I hear?" He said bemusedly.

Darcy cut in. "You know, Mr. Henley, I was just going to take Wanda and Vision to try the champagne. It's amazing, isn't it?" She took both of them by the amr and ragged them away until they reached a quiet corner of the party. "Don't talk to him." She hissed. "He's manipulative and almost stole Jane's Nobel prize."

"Are all of them like that?" Wanda sighed. "I kind of expected scientists to be nice like Jane and Bruce."

"Yeah, well, a lot of them are like that. They're rich."

"Wouldn't Jane have a lot of money for all the stuff she's done?" Wanda said with surprise. "She's so smart!"

Darcy shook her head. "She doesn't get paid well. She doesn't exactly work for anyone, she mostly does it because she wants to know. That's how she got into it, and her interest in wormholes and shit like that only grew when she met Thor."

Vision spoke up. "Would she have an interest in the mind stone?"

Darcy nodded. "When all of that first happened with the mind stone and you, she wouldn't shut up about it."

He shrugged. "Perhaps I would let her take a look at it."

"Well," Darcy replied, "she might've pestered you into it anyways." She grinned. "Since we're coming to work at the compound for a bit. Well, Jane's working, I'm maybe doing a bit to help her."

Wanda couldn't help but smile. "Really?" 

"Yeah."

Wanda remembered the first time she ever encountered Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis. Their minds were loud and gave her a huge headache. Now, she was better at blocking people out.

"Oh look, champagne." Darcy cried. "It is good, even if I used it as an excuse." She grabbed a flute of champagne from the tray a man was carrying around. Wanda followed suit, while Vision shook his head. Wanda had only had champagne on rare occasions, such as her wedding. It tasted like she was drinking sunbeams.

Soon, she was giggling along with Darcy while Vision finally agreed to drink some. She didn't think Vision could get drunk, and she still couldn't tell in her champagne-induced haze whether or not Vision was thinking straight when he led her off to an alcove and began to kiss her passionately and soon her dress was off and her heart was beating out of her chest and then suddenly she was sure that someone had seen them but the champagne high hadn't worn off yet and she was going to regret this in the morning.

***

Someone certainly had walked by. Someone who happened to have a camera phone on them, who happened to be another snooty scientist, emphais on snooty. Someone who happened to know a reporter.

Why, oh wh did she have to drink so much champagne?

It wasn't even a scandal. It was her husband. But the media loved it anyway, and Wanda didn't dare show her face in public.

She really wanted a night off.


	37. Waking From a Nightmare

_Wanda reached out for Pietro, but the hallway kept getting longer. She'd come out of her room to find him standing there, a mere few feet away, but before she could do anything, the corridor extended and she was at one and with him at the other. She ran toward him, but soon he was only a spec in the distance. She didn't know how long she tood there, frozen, when Pietro reappeared. He had the all-too-familiar bullet wounds soaking his shirt with blood now. He grabbed her and ran. When this happened, it was usually exhilirating, but now, all she felt was a sickening feeling of dread. Blood was soaking into her shirt but only one thing had her attention now:_

_A blackness was at the end of the corridor, and Pietro was running straight into it._

Wanda woke covered in sweat. Well, awake was the wrong word. She wasn't sleeping, no, but she wasn't really concious. She closed her eyes and fumbled around for something to hold onto. Sleep overtook her. Later, in the morning, she woke up and found herself hanging tightly onto, strangely, Vision's arm. 

It happened again the next night, and the next and the next. Neither of them mentioned it, but Wanda noticed that Vision made a habit of staying with her at night more often. 

***

The SHIELD agents were at the compound, and they were watching a movie.

It wasn't something Wanda hadn't already seen. It was The Breakfast Club. She'd completely forgotten about her odd sleeping habits when she fell asleep next to Bobbi Morse...

When she awoke from a not-very-pleasant dream at the end of the movie attached to Bobbi's arm with a considerable amount of people staring at her, she muttered, "Shit," and then got up and stormed out.

 _Vision?_ She thought.

It was a moment before he answered. _Yes, love?_

_Where are you?_

_Kitchen._

_I'm coming._

Several emotions coursed through her: embarrassment, frustration, and a little shame. She reminded herself that there was a reason she refused to sleep at this place.

As soon as Vision was in her sight, she began running. She threw her arms around him and sighed. "I can never show my face again."

"What happened, love?" He asked. He detached himself from her embrace and tilted her chin up so their faces were so close they could kiss.

She showed him what happened in his mind, not really in the mood to speak. He nodded and frowned.

 _Well, that wasn't quite as bad as I expected_. He thought.

She raised an eyebrow. _I was hugging Bobbi Morse's arm._ Bobbi Morse _!_

 _I'm sure if you explained they'd understand_. He replied. 

She laughed. _Barton was in that room. He might understand but he won't let it go. And I wouldn't be surprised if someone, if not all of them, got a picture._

He shrugged. _I don't know what to do, love._

_Hide out with me until they've forgotten?_

_No, Wanda_. Even in his thoughts he sounded exasperated. Suddenly, he tensed up. _Behind you_.

She turned around and saw Bobbi Morse. Her eyes widened and she felt the urge to run away, but her feet were rooted to the ground.

"I didn't mean for that to happen." She blurted out. "I have... nightmares..."

Bobbi nodded. "I get it. The others told me you hate sleeping here, so I guess we know why. Just leting you know that I'm not going to ever... bring that up again, but the others might." She said. "I think they're coming now."

Wanda's chest heaved. Okay, so, Bobbi was fine, but the others weren't and they were coming at her at an alarming speed. Vision sensed her discomfort and picked her up and flew away. She was relieved for only a moment. Her nightmare from the weel before came back to her: a bloodied Pietro running into a void of blackness, carrying her, not letting her escape...

She felt a tear run down her face. Vision finally stopped, but didn't set her down yet. He held her close and whispered, "It'ls alright, love, we're here, not in that dream." She'd forgotten how easily Vision could see her mind.

A small part of Wanda wanted to sleep again, but she knew it would only bring more nightmares. "I don't want to think about it."

"Then don't."

She realized here he'd taken her. Her old room from when she'd lived her, more than a year ago. The place was gathering dust now, but that didn't matter when Vision's lips met hers and suddenly he had her under him on the bed and-

"Ahem." A voice coughed. Ugh, it was Clint.

"What?" Wanda snapped. Vision sat up, leaving her lying limply.

"These two girls were supposed to be staying here." He said pointedly.

Wanda sat up to see Skye and Simmons staring wide-eyed at them.

"You know, we really don't want to repeat what happened at that party-"

"Shut the hell up, Barton." 

She heard Clint quietly explaining to the girls that this was Wanda's old bedroom. She sighed. 

To Vision, she thought, _Why do they always walk in on us?_

 _I don't know, love, but perhaps it's time to abandon our duties and go back to the apartment._ He smiled. _And continue this._

_Perhaps it is. I love you, Vizh._

_And I you, Wanda. Now, shall we?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey my tumblr is scaaarlet-witch so hit me up  
> also I think I'm gonna end this soon but there will be a prequel and a sequel and maybe even another sequel after that  
> but maybe i won't end it because I love writing this story so much and I can't let it go yet  
> help me decide


	38. Why do we have to do this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this chapter might be a tad boring but i love writing about wanda and vision being romantic lil cutie pies the other avengers finding it fascinating

Wanda and Vision were just about to go home when Clint intercepted them.

"So," Clint said awkwardly, "I don't know how to say this, but..." he trailed off and blurted out, "you guys have to stay at the compound tonight."

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "Why?" 

"Security reasons." He replied. "It's a need-to-know thing, so don't ask."

"You're lying." She said with certainty. Vision nodded.

Clint sighed. "Need to know, guys."

Wanda considered going through Clint's head, but decided against it. She knew they hated it. "Fine, fine."

"Great." Clint said triumphantly. "We're playing Mario Kart."

"What? Why?"

"Because that's something we do, and you would know that if you stayed here."

"Ugh."

So they followed Clint to the living room where they sat on the couch. The others slowly arrived, giving Clint impressed glances. Wanda couldn't fathom why. And apparently the Avengers' biggest problem was who was sitting where. These people were so childish. Soon, Tony was the only person without a place to sit. "Move over, guys." He huffed.

So while everyone else complained that this couch was already full, Wanda solved the problem and sat on Vision's lap.

"That... was not necessary." Tony said. 

"So sit on the floor." Wanda retorted, grinning. Tony did not want to sit on the floor.

It was a while before they actually got to play Mario Kart. Everyone bickered about who was what character and no, they were not doing coconut mall _again_.

It was in this crowded room that everyone learned that Vision was a master at Mario Kart, despite never having played before. 

"He's cheating!" Clint would repeatedly claim.

"No, I'm not." Vision would reply tiredly. 

After Mario Kart, they were dragged off to the kitchen.

"Why are we here?" Wanda demanded.

"One of you makes dinner when you're at your place, right?" Clint said. "Well, how about you make it now?"

Wanda gaped. "Hell, no. You aren't keeping us here to make you food."

"It's fine, love, really." Vision said. "I wouldn't be surprised if takeout was the only meal they've had here."

"If you say so." She sighed. And Wanda could have slapped Clint when he was surprised that Vision cooked.

Clint then began to interrogate her while they waited for whatever Vision was making. "So what is your morning routine, huh?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Breakfast, get ready, then I come to this place, and if I'm lucky I get to _go home_."

"We're not that bad..."

"They aren't, you are."

Clint shrugged. "What do you do in your free time?"

"What is with the sudden interest in us?" She hissed. 

"Yeah, Clint, what's with the sudden interest in them?" Natasha piped up with a sly grin. Why were they acting so strangely? She rolled her eyes and went to see Vision in the kitchen. He was making something simple: spaghetti. But Wanda knew that Vision's spaghetti was the best she'd ever tasted. 

"They're being weird. Clint is asking me questions." She said, resting her chin on Vision's shoulder.

He sighed. "They have been acting strange, haven't they?" He didn't protest when she snatched one of the half cooked noodles and ate it.

"Yeah, asking me about my _morning routine_ and crap like that." She replied, wrapping her arms around her husband.

There was a hiss from the door. "I told you!" She looked over and saw someone  disappear from the doorway. They were gone before she could recognize them. It was probably Barton, though. She didn't need to see. 

"What is with them, Vizh? It's like they're stalking us." 

Soon enough, the spaghetti was ready.

"Woah, Vision, this is amazing." Sam cried. "You should cook for us more often!"

Both Wanda and Vision answered at the same time, "No!" Vision asked, "Why are you acting so strange?"

"We're not." Clint replied quickly. Too quickly. Natasha looked like she was about to speak, but changed her mind.

"You are." Wanda said irritably. "And I can go into your heads and see."

Barton froze. "No, fine. I'll tell you." He relented, then added, "In a couple of hours."

"You better." She muttered. Silence blanketed the room.

"So," Steve said awkwardly, "Wanda, are you as good a cook as Vision?"

She and Vision shared a knowing look. "No." Wanda was an awful cook, Vision didn't let her so much as touch the oven for fear of seting their building on fire.

"Hey, I know you didn't like it when I asked before," Clint said, "but what do you guys do in the morning?"

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Again?" She sighed.

Vision shrugged. "I see no harm in it. I make breakfast before she wakes up-"

"But you don't eat."

"He makes it for me, dumbass." But Wanda didn't dare admit sometimes Vision made pancakes shaped like hearts or with cheesy pickup lines written in maple syrup.

"And after that, really, _I_ do nothing until we leave." Vision finished. "I have nothing to do."

"Must be nice." Rhodey sighed. "Having all that time to do stuff because you don't sleep, and still having to do nothing."

"It gets quite boring, actually." Vision explained. "In the mornings, at least."

"What do you do at night, Vision?" Barton asked. His eyes widened and he amended, "When Wanda and everyone else is sleeping. You've got so much extra time."

"I..." Vision trailed off. Wanda knew that he stayed with her all night, watched her, held her. "I do nothing at night." He said vaguely.

"Surely you do something?" Clint persisted.

Vision closed his eyes. "I stay with her."

"You guys are adorable." Sam said, almost _giggling_.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Just eat your food, you nosy people."

***

When they were finished, and Wanda hoped to find out what the hell was going on, Barton announced they'd be watching a movie. Two hours of not knowing, but also two hours of (hopefully) no one talking, so Wanda was on board with this.

"We're watching 27 Dresses-" Clint began, but Wanda interrupted.

"You hate 27 Dresses, Barton." 

"Maybe I have a secret passion for romcoms." He argued.

"He does." Natasha said. "Do you know how many times I've watched The Other Woman with him?"

"Just put on the movie." 

The movie was, as expected, not very good, but somehow halfway through Vision ended up pretty much cradling her, and she could not say that she hated it.

_This movie is not very good_. Vision thought.

_I know_. Wanda replied. _Why a romcom?_

_I can't say that I am surprised Clint likes romcoms_.

Wanda burst out laughing, and Vision pressed a kiss on her forehead. The others gawked at them, Wanda told them to keep watching the crappy movie.

When the credits rolled, Clint said, "I see you two are very close."

"I don't know if you noticed, Barton," Wanda said sarcastically, "but we are married."

"So am I, and you two are still very romantic." He replied.

"Perhaps you are not doing enough for your wife." Vision retorted, suppressing a smile. Natasha burst out laughing.

Wanda sighed. "So, you are going to tell me what's going on now?"

"In the morning, Wanda, I'm tired." ANd before she could stop him, Barton was skipping down the hall like an idiot.

One night here couldn't hurt, right?

Wrong.

She wasn't used to sleeping around people whose minds were so loud and clear to her anymore. At her apartment, she was surrounded by strangers, and it was white noise. She took a deep breath.

"Love, just concentrate on me." Vision whispered. And she did. She looked through his vast, endless mind, and fell asleep.

***

"Wakey wakey," Clint said, "big mistakey."

Barton's 'big mistakey' was walking into Wanda's room and finding them kissing. Ah, well, at least this time they were mostly clothed. They were walked in on often. 

Wanda detached herself from Vision. "Go away, Barton."

"Don't you want to know why we were acting weird?" He said weakly. He didn't want to be here, clearly.

So Wanda got up and stretched, hating the silky pajamas she'd had to sleep in. They were the only ones left here, and she hadn't wanted to sleep in her clothes. Vision smiled and picked her up. He followed Clint to where the Avengers were all crowded around a table.

"Why are you all here?" Wanda demanded. 

"Why won't he put you down?" Rhodey retorted. He seemed more confused than anything.

Wanda grinned at Vision. "Who says I want him to? Now what am I doing here that's so interesting that you all had to watch?"

"You'll see." Natasha said.

"Well," Clint began nervously, "remember when I mentioned you had to be here for security reasons?"

"I already knew you were lying, hawk guy. What's the real reason?"

"Well, it was sort of me?" He said quickly. "I wanted to see what you guys did without us?"

"He paid us each fifty bucks to go along with it." Sam piped up.

Wanda ignored Sam. "So... I could have gone home?"

"Yeah." 

"We do have lives without you, you know." Vision said.

Clint shrugged. "But you're... Wanda and Vision. You don't..."

"Don't what?"

"I dunno."

"And you all agree with him?"

There were awkwardly mumbles _yes_ es. Wanda sighed. "Vizh, let's go home. I'm taking the day off. I already had to spend a night with you people." And in her mind, Wanda just wanted to be alone with Vision after having her every move watched by the hawk guy. If she was truthful with herself, she also wanted to be alone with Vision for other, less orthodox reasons...


	39. The People's Sudden Interest in Scarlet Vision

"Okay," Tony announced, "I'm doing a thing at Stark tower." He began.

"And we have to go?" Natasha said.

"Yes, but before you argue, it's a charity event." He retorted.

"If it's charity..." Wanda agreed reluctantly. The others followed suit.

"Great!" Tony cried enthusiastically. "I hope you all are good with children."

***

Wanda was in the passenger seat of her car while Vision drove. Crammed in the backseat were Steve, Natasha, and Sam. They were a little loud and very hungover. Natasha had stayed at Steve's the previous night, and Sam had, too.

Vision sighed. They were late. They were supposed to be there a couple of hours early, and it was only a half hour til the event started, but even now, cars were surrounding the tower.

"We'll have to walk a little." Vision announced. They stared sadly through their windows at the gray, rainy day. Luckily, Steve (for reasons unknown) had two umbrellas.

Two wasn't enough. Steve and Natasha were under one, and Sam insisted Steve was too huge to fit anyone else in. And when Vision invited him under his umbrella, he shook his head vigourously and said, "Too much _love_  under there. I might catch it."

"Stay in the rain, then." Wanda replied breezily, though she didn't really mind. They walked under their umbrella, her head on Vision's shoulder, his arm around her waist. It was all rather romantic.

"I will." Sam said petulantly. He shivered, and Wanda rolled her eyes. 

They wove between the cars and eventually reached the tower. They were all cold, but at least only Sam was soaked.

"You're late!" Tony hissed. "Why?"

"Honestly, we didn't think you'd care." Natasha replied. "You really aren't one for plans."

Tont rolled his eyes. "Pep wants this to go perfect." It took Wanda a moment to realize 'Pep' meant Pepper.

"Why are we here so much earlier?" Sam demanded.

"To prepare." Tony replied.

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "Isn't this just a normal make an appearance and sign a few autographs thing?"

He shook his head. "It's a thing for kids with cancer, and they really idolize us, so I told the press we'd be answering some of the kids'- and parents'- questions."

"Oh, damn it." she muttered.

"Language!" Tony said with an evil grin. "Can't have you saying such words around the kids." He raised an eyebrow when Wanda gave him the finger. "Anyway, we've got a table we're gonna sit at, so, let's go."

"It's like a con." Wanda observed as she saw the long table.

"By con do you mean against a proposition, opinion, et cetera?" Vision inquired. 

Wanda laughed. "No, hon. Like comic con."

"They're starting to come in." Rhodey observed. Wanda took her seat in between Vision and Natasha, staring at their quickly growing audience. She spoke quietly among her friends while they waited for Tony to announce they were starting.

Finally, Tony made a speech and chose a girl who looked about nine. She grinned ear to ear and asked, "What's it like to fly?"

Tony laughed. "Who are you asking? There's two, three, four five of us two can fly, and that's not including Thor!"

The girl looked confused for a moment. "Who's the last one?"

Tony replied, "Well, it's me, Sam, Rhodey, Vision, and Wanda."

"She can fly?" The girl gasped. "Cool!" Wanda smiled at the girl. "Well, I wanna ask Vision."

Vision went on to tell the girl that flying was like the sky was carrying you away to beautiful, beautiful places. And he very much enjoyed it.

The next kid, a boy who looked about five, asked, "Scarlet Witch, why did you marry an android?"

Well, that was a strange question coming from a kid who was practically a toddler. He was obviously smart.

"Well, kid, I married a man, not an android." She said, not unkindly. "Think of Vizh like this: he's got a human brain, but a not-so-human body."

The kid nodded thoughtfully. "Okay."

Answering the questions eventually became unexciting, until one unusual one from a girl who couldn't be older than than thirteen. It wasn't even really a question.

"I was watching the news once, and in the corner of the shot, I saw Wanda and the Vision kissing on the battlefield."

Clint answered this. "It happens all the time. One second, one of em's beside you, fighting, and the next, they're off kissing in the shadow of a building that is literally falling over."

"You should see them at the compound." Natasha added. "They're never more than a few feet away from each other."

"You exaggerate." Wanda said petulantly.

"Well..." Sam agreed. The girl who'd spoken had an enormous grin on her face. A younger boy beside her, presumably her brother, was holding her arm and laughing.

"They're holding hands under the table right now." Natasha said. There was a collective _awww_ from the audience. Wanda shook her head disappointedly.

A few more, and they were finished. Wanda knew that this thing still wasn't done, but she didn't particularly enjoy mingling amongst strangers. So she began to drag Vision away, out of sight. Well, out of sight to the people. Not the avengers. Tony intercepted them and said, "Oh, no. You aren't going off to some closet to do things that these kids would be terrified to walk in on. And as you know, being walked in on is a frighteningly common occurence for you two."

She sighed. "Fine."

And they talked with kids, talked with their parents, she even let one boy inspect her wedding ring. She and Vision received an adorable drawing depicting them holding hands in a heart. Clearly, her and Vision's 'romance' as the media called it was gaining popularity, though she could not sat she was happy about it.

Tony began to speak, but Wanda wasn't listening. She suddenly felt very tired, but couldn't think of why. She then realized it was her mind suppressing all of the noise the people here made. Now aware, the thoughts bled through her barrier, and and leaned on Vision. He knew what was happening. "Are you okay, love?"

"I... gimme a minute." She murmured. 

"So, you are not okay." Vision clarified. "Do you want to go somewhere quiet?" When she nodded, he pickd her up and flew away, trying not to draw the attention away from Tony, but she did notice the camera flashes.

"I'll be okay in a few minutes." She whispered. "I just have to clear my head."

Within moments, she'd fallen asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he kissed her cheek and flew silently from the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided I will continue this until chapter 55 or 60.  
> or maybe more. Im bad at planning.  
> also give me prompts for this i need prompts i am a greedy greedy girl


	40. Cheesy Pickup Lines

Vision liked to write cheesy pickup lines in syrup when he made Wanda pancakes. He mostly just loved hearing her laugh at them, and he relished it when she kissed him on the cheek.

Wanda had pictures of every pancake he'd ever done this with, and she sent them to Natasha. Natasha liked to annoy Maria with these horrible one-liners.

This morning, Wanda awoke to the delicious smell of pancakes. Vision waited for her, hands still sticky with syrup. She burst out laughing when she read, 'You better tie your shoes, because I can't have you fall for anyone else!' She sent it to Natasha before devouring her breakfast. Vision was a good cook, what could she say?

***

Natasha had left her phone out the previous night, and when it went off, Clint couldn't see the harm in checking who it was. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Wanda. What could Wanda be texting Natasha about at this ungodly hour? Well, it was five fifteen. Natasha would be awake any moment.   
Perhaps it was all the years he'd spent with her that made him suddenly hear the soft, familiar, barely perceptible footsteps of a spy.

He was even more surprised when he saw a picture of a pancake. It took him a moment to realize that there was writing: 'you better tie your shoes, because I can't have you fall for anyone else!' In the corner of the photo, Vision's hand was visible, coated with syrup. He obviously did this for Wanda. Clint barely suppressed a laugh. He threw the phone down as soon as Natasha entered.

"Clint, why do you look so guilty?" She demanded. Her eyes danced between him and her phone. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I... thought that your phone was mine?" He lied. "I didn't look at it though." He amended. 

She rolled her eyes. "Idiot." She muttered. She looked at her text from Wanda and smiled a little. Clint mulled over what to do with this information. Repeat it back to Wanda when she arrived, or perhaps bombard her with any sort of pickup line? Or... _both_? Both, both is good.

***

Wanda was suspicious when she saw Clint waiting for her at the compound. As soon as she was inside, he said, "You better tie your shoes, because I can't have you fall for anyone else!'

Her face reddened. Vision looked acutely embarrassed. Wanda's face slowly paled again and then she grinned. "I'm sure Natasha will be happy when she finds out you were on her phone."

Clint froze. "No, please don't tell her. She'll kill me."

Wanda knew she'd hit a soft spot. "Too late, Barton. If you never bring this up again, I won't tell her."

He looked thoughtful. "I don't know if I can do that. Natasha's wrath may be a price-"

Wanda did not hear the rest. She was practically flying to Natasha.

"He went on your phone." She said immediately, as soon as Natasha was in her sight. "He saw."

Natasha narrowed her eyes. She didn't need to ask what Wanda meant. "He's dead."

"I will gladly help you."

And _that_ was how Natasha ended up pinning Clint against the wall, wielding her phone like a weapon. Displayed on the device was a photo of Clint, flat out drunk, half naked, and for reasons unknown, wearing antlers and holding an open umbrella. 

"I will put this on the internet. On Twitter, Instagram, everything." She threatened. "Don't bug her, ddon't let anyone else bug her, don't even _look_ at my phone, and this can all blow over."

Clint nodded vigorously. He looked more terrified of the photo than the fact that Natasha was on the verge of strangling him.

"I am going to let you go. Remember this photo, Clinton, and remember I know the story that goes with it."

He didn't need to be told twice.

***

"Hey, Wanda," Sam said slyly. She noticed with a muted interest Clintrunning as fast as he could toward them. "You better tie your shoes, because I can't have you fall for anyone else."

Clint arrived as soon as Sam had finished speaking. "No!" He wheezed. "Do not say it!"

"Ah, well." Sam said. 

"Okay, Clint." Wanda replied with a malicious grin. "I'm off to see Natasha."

"NO!" He screeched, sounding distinctly pterodactyl-like. "Have mercy, please."

Wanda ignored him. Oh, this was going to be good. 

***

Wanda was snuggled up with Vision in their apartment, and they were laughing at the comments on that picture of Barton. Natasha had even hacked into Wanda's Tumblr and made a post about the story. She'd be lying if she said she was mad.

Vision was mostly watching her reactions. "You know," he said, "I'm not sure I'm even angry Barton got to that picture."

"Me neither." She giggled. "Do you know what could make today even better?"

Vision laughed. "What?"

"Vodka."

"Good thing we have some sitting around from last time you said that."

She frowned. "I don't remember that."

He grinned. "That's because you were drunk, but it was a _very good_ night."


	41. Stay

A very bloody Wanda was leaning against Vision in the quinjet. They were returning from a mission, and they could not get home fast enough. Wanda was heavily bleeding and he didn't know how much longer she could stay concious.

"I'm tired, Vizh." She murmured. "I'm... gonna sleep."

"No!" He hissed, startling her. "Sorry, love. Just, you can't sleep yet." If she fell asleep, he didn't know if she would wake up. He held her close, careful not to hurt her. "Just hang on, my love." He whispered. "You're okay."

Wanda's only answer was a grunt. Her hand was weak in his. If only this damn quinjet could go a little faster...

***

"Is she alright?" Vision demanded as soon as someone left the room Wanda was in. 

"She'll live." The nurse replied. "You'll be able to go in soon."

He paced furiously. What if he'd been with her in the fight, what if he'd been protecting her... all those thoughts dissipated when the door opened and a doctor beckoned him in. "She's on pain meds, so don't expect too much sense outta her."

"Okay." He said, though he hadn't really been listening. Wanda was lying in the bed, covered in bandages. 

"Vizh?" She said, voice a little slurred. 

"Yes, love?"

"I missed you." She whispered.

He smiled. "It hasn't even been a day since I last saw you." _But I missed you, too, more than you can imagine_.

"I know. I love you, y'know that?" She replied. "I wanted them to let you in, but... but... they wouldn't." She shifted so she was facing him.

"I love you, too." He said quietly. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "But... it's mostly because I'm high on pain meds." She said. She then looked around as if telling a secret and stage-whispered, "I'm actually not that good. There was a lot of blood."

"I know, dear." He replied distantly. He recalled the quinjet, Wanda fighting for conciousness, the _blood_...

He realized she'd begun to cry. "Don't think about that." She choked out. "Don't wanna be sad now."

He wiped away her tears gently. "I'm sorry, Wanda."

Suddenly, a glass shattered. 

"What was that?" He muttered.

Wanda's eyes widened. "I dunno, but I think it was me." Of course. She wasn't in her right mind, she wouldn't have much control over her powers. "Sorry." She looked scared and on the verge of tears once again.

"Shh, don't cry, love." He said softly. "It's not your fault, you mustn't get upset." Or something else would break. "Do you want to sleep?"

She shook her head. "No, 'cause then I have bad dreams." A tear fell down her cheek. "And you're here instead of me." It took a moment for it to register that 'here' meant in the hospital bed, close to death.

"Oh, Wanda." He sighed. He reached out and cradled her cheek. His hand came away wet with salty tears.

"Just, just stay with me. I don't like it here." She muttered. She bit her lip, and Vision hated that he couldn't touch her, couldn't hold her. She needed comfort.

"I will stay with you always." He replied.

But Wanda was asleep, and all Vision could do was make sure she had pleasant dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up my mind.  
> 50 chapters, then sequel, then second sequel. Somewhere in there I will end up writing the prequel. Until then, always open to prompts for the remaining nine chapters.


	42. Pizza Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say that i would post this yesterday I'm sorry

"Hey Wanda, what do you think of dogs?" Clint asked one day.

"Why?" She replied, nudging Vision. He (for reasons unknown) really liked dogs.

"Me and my family are going away for a few days," Clint explained, "and we can't take Lucky."

"I don't recall you having a dog." She said with renewed interest.

Clint rolled his eyes. "He's new. He'd been hit by a car when we found him, but we got him all fixed up."

"Alright, so what do you want me to do?" She replied.

"Just, stay at my place while we're gone and watch him. No one else will do it."

"Even Steve?"

"Steve has to go on a mission."

"Okay, fine."

"You're a lifesaver."

***

Wanda and Vision were welcomed eagerly.

"Thank you for watching Lucky for us." Laura said gratefully.

"It's no problem, really." Vision replied.

The two eldest kids charged toward them. "Hiiii!" Lila said. Nathaniel stumbled after them.

"Hi, Lila. Hi, boys." Wanda greeted them.

"Kids, get your stuff together." Laura commanded. Lila and Cooper scrambled up the stairs. "There's a note in the kitchen on what to do with Lucky." Laura looked positively exhausted. 

"Do you need any help, Laura?" Vision offered. Laura nodded and with a sigh of relief led Vision outside. Wanda decided to make sure the kids were doing what they were supposed to.

As soon as she was upstairs she heard a high pitched voice whisper, "I told you she'd come!"

"Who?" Wanda asked loudly, feigning innocence. She pushed open the ajar door of Lila's room.

Cooper's eyes widened. "Can you bring our stuff downstairs? Like, _float_ it down?"

She laughed. "No! You have to do it. C'mon, hurry. Don't wanna be late for vacation!"

She let them drag their things down the stairs while she waited in the kitchen and met Lucky. He was a brown dog who was missing his left eye.

Soon enough, the Bartons were on their way. "Bye, Pizza Dog!" Clint shouted.

"Bye, Pizza Dog!" The kids echoed. Wanda was very confused. Pizza Dog?

The dog sniffed at Vision experimentally. Vision petted him warily. He liked dogs, but had no idea how to handle them. When Wanda approached, Lucky shied away. She shrugged and found the note on the kitchen counter. It was what she expected: when and what to feed him, etc. Apparently they might have to wash him. There were instructions. Vision could do that.

"Hey, Wanda," Vision called, "I think Clint mentioned that he likes fetch."

She rolled her eyes. "Dogs actually do that? I've only seen it on TV."

"How many dogs have you actually met, love?" Vision asked in response.

"I see how it is." She muttered. "Anyway, fetch."

Lucky, or Pizza Dog as he appeared to answer to more, liked running more than actual fetch. 

"I'll just sit here and watch, then." The dog completely ignored Wanda. Barked at her if she came too close. Apparently, Vision was going to do all the work. She was just fine with that.

"Come here, love." Vision shouted. He was pretty far away in the absolutely huge backyard.

"Why?" Pizza Dog was quiet, he didn't need to start barking his head off now.

"Just come on." Vision sighed. Wanda obliged, only to be bowled over by the dog. She tumbled down. 

"Why did you want me here again?" She hissed, lying pathetically on the grass.

Vision grinned. "So this would happen." He replied innocently.

"You..." She tried to get up but fell down again, causing Vision to laugh and Pizza Dog to start barking. She groaned. "Just leave me here. I am forsaken." She dramatically placed a hand over her heart.

"You know I can't." Vision retorted, helping her up. He pulled her in for a kiss. "I can't abandon you." He murmured against her lips. The dog whined. Wanda rolled her eyes. "He's like a child." He murmured. Wanda nodded.

***

The next day, after feeding him, Vision let the dog outside. Unsure of what to do, they followed. The dog ran into the woods, which worried Wanda, until Vision pointed out that Clint had told them Lucky would return before long. Sure enough, he did. Covered in mud.

"Damn you, Pizza Dog." Wanda muttered. "Well, hon, you're on cleaning duty." She glanced at the kiddie pool. "Good luck."

"Oh no you don't." Vision retorted, grabbing her by the hand. 

"Let me go!" She cried, but eventually surrendered. "I have been defeated by your iron grip, O Vision."

Vision smiled. "I have defeated the strongest warrior in all the lands." **(authors note: ddddooooorrrkkkksss)**

"You, a mere servant? Warrior or not, wash the dog." She was holding back laughter. 

"A small price to pay for being in the presence of a lady such as yourself." Vision replied, keeping in character. 

"If I try to escape now, sir, will I be restrained?"

"You most certainly will, madam."

She ran, but Vision was faster. He scooped her up and dropped her in the small pool. "Hey!" She shrieked, splashing her husband. He stepped back as she stood up and stepped out of the pool, dripping wet. "I seem to remember that it's the dog being washed, not me."

"How could I forget?" Vision replied, grinning widely. "I was distracted by my wife falling into the pool. It was quite alarming."

"Falling?!" She ran toward him, but he just took hold of her with his aforementioned 'iron grip'. "You pushed me, you son of a -"

"Quiet. We can't have Pizza Dog picking up on such language." Viison hushed her. He carried her effortlessly over his shoulder while she struggled. It was hard since she was so out of breath from laughter.

"When I escape, you're dead." She hissed. 

"Escape. I don't appreciate your choice of words." VIsion muttered dejectedly. She knew he was smiling even though she couldn't see his face. He let her down, but she did nothing to retaliate except weakly attempt to punch him. He laughed. "You are in more danger of hurting yourself."

"I, ah, see that." She said, rubbing her sore knuckles. "Are you also immune to brass knuckles?"

"No one's ever tried to hit me with brass knuckles, but I assume so."

"Wash the dog. I have to google something."

"Let me guess: are brass knuckles legal?"

Wanda glanced at him with a hurt expression. "I am offended, husband." She sniffed. "You think it matters whether they're legal?"

Vision rolled his eyes. "Remind me why I married you?"

"Because you love me?" She sidled up beside him.

He pecked her on the cheek. "That must've been it." She noticed him staring and she narrowed her eyes. "What?" Vision said innocently. "I am looking at my beautiful, beautiful wife."

"I know that you're sucking up to me." She retorted. "And it's working. Now wash the damn dog before you get any ideas!"

***

"The dog is barking... in the middle of the night." Wanda hissed. "And I sleep in the middle of the night!"

"I'll go calm him down." Vision suggested. "You sleep."

"No!" She protested. "You're warm and I'm comfy and I am not against lying here awake if I get to stay like this."

"I see." Vision replied. He then got out of bed.

"Don't leave me here. Now I'm cold." She whined.

When Vision returned and the dog was silenced, she was sound asleep. 

***

"Morning, hon." Wanda said. She sniffed.

"Morning. What do you want for breakfast?" Vision asked.

"Not really hungry." She coughed. Vision's eyes widened.

"You're sick. You haven't been sick since I've known you." 

"Shut up." She muttered. Now Vision would fuss over her. 

"Don't go outisde today." He commanded. Dear god. "And let me treat you today."

"In fear I await the day when you don't treat me." She retorted.

"So," he said nonchalantly, "I am a good husband."

"Not like anyone else'll ever know." She snorted, then coughed.

"True."

"Now, sit on the couch."

And so proceeded an exciting day of cuddling and Netflix. They finished the first two seasons of Sherlock, but Vision wouldn't watch anymore, claiming he'd seen far too much television that day.

"We came here for the dog, not to take advantage of the Barton household." He claimed.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "You and I came here for very different reasons." When Vision glared at her, she raised her hands in surrender. "I'm kidding, Vizh."

"Don't move." He cautioned before he left the room. What could she do? She was cocooned in blankets. It was difficult to move. If she could just convince Vision she was feeling fine... It was all forgotten when Vision returned with hot chocolate and the (thankfully not mud spattered) dog.

"Season three of Sherlock?" She suggested, grinning. She leaned closer to Vision as he shook his head. "C'mon, hon, it ended on a huge cliff hanger. Don't you want to know what happens to him?" She kissed his cheek.

"You can't sway me with a kiss on the cheek." He replied, eyes sparking playfully.

She shed her shell of blankets and pulled herself onto his lap. "What else can I do? I seem to remember you saying we aren't here to take advantage of the house."

She heard a door open and moments later, Natasha appeared in the room. Upon seeing them, she said, "You two would do that in someone else's house?"

Vision immediately said, "We didn't," while at the same time Wanda asked, "You wouldn't?"

"Touché, Maximoff." Natasha retorted. 

"Why are you here, Natasha?" Vision asked curiously, while he was tickling the back of Wanda's neck so Natasha wouldn't see why the other woman was squirming.

"Well, they're just getting on my nerves. Pizza Dog is fine compared to those _children_." She replied fiercely while watching Wanda hold back laughter with a bemused expression. "What have you been up to here? Assuming it's not stuff I don't want to hear about."

Vision rolled his eyes. "Natasha, you expect the worst from us. But we haven't done much at all. Well, we watched two seasons of BBC's Sherlock."

"Did Wanda tell you she's never seen Sherlock before?" Natasha said with narrowed eyes. "Because she has. Made me watch fourteen hours of Sherlock, all in one day."

Vision cast a sidelong glance at his wife. "Wanda, what do you have to say to this?"

"I really like Sherlock." She said, shrugging. "Plus, you'd be lying if you said you didn't like it."

"I cannot deny it, but there are bette things to do than sit around and watch television all day." Vision sniffed.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Lighten up, Red. When do you get to do this? Move over, you're taking up the whole couch."

"I think you'll find that it's difficult for one to move when there is a person sitting on them." Vision said pointedly.

"I'm not moving. I'm sick, aren't I?" She said with a poisonous smile. Vision kissed her.

"Y'know," Natasha said thoughtfully, "I was saying make room, but I should've said get a room."

Vision fianlly moved, which made Wanda grab onto him. "Now, let's watch a high-functioning sociopath get hit in the face by a man with an ugly mustache."

***

"You haven't forgotten about the dog, have you?" Natasha said the next morning. "And don't think I didn't hear you last night."

"I don't know." Wanda shrugged. "He does whatever with the dog, it doesn't like me. And it's not my fault you're a light sleeper."

"I suppose so." Natasha responded. "I don't think Pizza Dog really likes Clint, either." 

"Hey," Wanda said after a long silence, "what's happening with you and Maria?"

Natasha froze. "I'm not sure, really. Marriage has been discussed, but nothing... ever happened."

Wanda sighed. "That is very _you_ , Natasha. And you will get married, and I will be your maid of honour."

"I suppose there can be two, with two brides and all." Natasha replied nonchalantly. "Laura said the same thing. In fact, she said, 'If _Wanda_ has to have a big wedding, so do you.'"

And at that moment Vision entered. "Talking about weddings, are we?"

"I suppose we are." Wanda said absentmindedly. "Vizh, do you think Natasha should get married?"

"If that's what she wants." Vision replied. "But marriage is a beautiful thing."

"Perhaps you only say that because you married her." Natasha replied softly. "You two never fight."

"Well, he threw me in the kiddie pool two days ago." Wanda protested.

"You enjoyed it." Vision declared with a smug smile.

"That I did." She conceded. "But I'm pretty sure that marriages are supposed to have fights. Normal marriages, at least." She laughed. "I suppose you don't often find people who can read each other's minds."

"I guess." 

"Now, I haven't made breakfast." 

***

"How about you cook for me all time." Natasha suggested, ravenously eating her french toast. "Wanda, you are lucky."

"Vizh, I'm fine, can I go outside today?" Wanda pleaded.

"I know that you'll go anyway, so of course, love." Vision agreed. 

"Don't push me in the pool again." She warned. "I know how I got sick, you know."

"I would never push you in the pool again, love." Vision retorted. "I can, however, throw you into the woods."

"Is this how you two flirt?" Natasha demanded. "It's kinda weird. Threats?"

"Flirting? This is not flirting." Wanda sighed.

Vision cracked a smile. "That was barely flirting."

"You two are really weird. You are dorks." Natasha muttered, raising a questioning eyebrow at them.

Wanda shrugged and leaned her head on Vision's shoulder. "So I've heard. On a completely unrelated note, you and Clint do speak very loudly."

Natasha's face was uncomposed for only half a second. "I told him people could hear us. He really likes gossiping and your love life is oddly interesting to him." 

The dog barked. Vision went to attend to him but Wanda jumped on his back, successfully slowing him down. Natasha watched bemusedly when Vision attempted to shake her off. Their laughter echoed through the house.

"Once again, dorks."

***

"Well, Barton, I can't say I'm happy to see you back." Wanda sighed.

Clint narrowed his eyes. "Why?" Did she do something to his house? Oh shit, she did something to his house.

"I very much enjoyed living here. It's nice." She said casually. "And don't be surprised if your food has been diminished."

Natasha followed Wanda out of the house as well as Vision and the dog.

"I see that you did end up going." He said to Natasha.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "I don't suppose you'd like to deal with a bunch of whiney avengers all on your own." She paused. "Wait, you are a whiney avenger."

Laura stepped out of the car, followed by the three children. "Again, thank you guys." She sighed.

Wanda shook her head. "It was no problem. We rather enjoyed it. Well, most of it, until I got sick."

"Oh no!" Laura cried. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I would be better if he hadn't dumped me into the pool."

"Vision?" Clint said incredulously. "You dropped her in the kiddie pool? The one we wash the dog in?"

Vision nodded. "I do not regret it."

"Well, we better go." Natasha said pointedly, eyeing Wanda and Vision.

"I suppose so." Wanda agreed.

"Goodbye, Bartons. Thank you." Vision nodded at the family.

Wanda saw them all crowded together, talking under their breaths, embracing. They were a family. Glancing at Vision, she thought that maybe one day, _she_ could have that. Her and Vision- a normal life. A perfect life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> headcanon scarlet vision are dorks also prompts prompts prompts my river of ideas has dried up
> 
> well mostly  
> upcoming chapter will be maria/natasha wedding and there wil be shenanigans


	43. Central Park

"When was the last time we went out?" Vision asked absently one day.

"By out do you mean outside or out as in go out to someplace with a purpose?" Wanda replied, fanning herself. It was hot out, too hot.

"Out, like, a date." Vision clarified. "We should do something tomorrow." Tomorrow, they were free from their duties. 

"Sure."

And that was how they ended up going on a picnic on a too hot day in too crowded central park. 

"Did we bring cold food? Drinks?" Wanda demanded. "It's too hot."

"Soda. And water. No alcohol in the park, remember?" Vision replied, though he was completely unaffected by the hot temperatures. Suddenly, Wanda had an idea.

"Hey, remember how you can regulate your body heat?"

Vision's eyes widened. "We're in public, Wanda." 

"I'm not suggesting we have sex in the middle of the park, hon." She sighed. "Just make yourself cold. I will do the rest."

'Do the rest' meant Wanda sitting in his lap and leaning on his chest. Vision didn't like the looks they were getting, but he wasn't sure whether it was him and Wanda or just him in general. "This is nice." She muttered. "Nice and cold."

"Cold." He echoed absently. "I don't suppose you have any qualms about doing this in public?"

She rolled her eyes. "Again, Vizh, I'm not making you scream, I'm sitting on you for relief from this heat."

Vision raised an eyebrow. "So I'm the one screaming, now?"

"Shut up, please." She sighed. "I seem to remember this being a picnic, with food?"

He nodded. "Yes. What do you want?" His back rubbed uncomfortably on the tree he was leaning on, but he was not about to tell Wanda that. She would move.

"Did you bring the sandwich?" She demanded. The sandwich was almost a simple ham sandwich, except Wanda put icing in it. He couldn't fathom how it tasted good to her, and he was not alone in it. 

"I brought it." He confirmed. She reached into the bag and took it out, staring at it reverently. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone wielding a camera phone. He pulled Wanda towards him, knowing how much she hated pictures.

"I thought we weren't doing this in public." She said, trying to sound mischievous. Her attempts failed with a mouthful of ham, bread, and icing and her face pressed up uncomfortably against Vision's collar bone.

"They were taking pictures." He explained, twirling her hair bemusedly.

"Ah. Thanks." She sighed, adjusting so she was more comfortable. "Very cold. Very nice." A small part of Wanda wanted to sit like this forever. The rest of her was concentrated on her parched throat. "I'm thirsty." She muttered.

"Thirsty, huh?" A new voice replied. Wanda looked up to see Darcy Lewis standing over them with a mischievous glint in her eye. Wanda didn't know Darcy well. What was she doing here?

"Darcy?" She said after a moment.

"Darcy?" Vision repeated, staring at the girl in confusion.

"Yes. Darcy." Darcy sighed in exasperation. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you." Wanda's voice was muffled since her face was still pressed onto Vision's chest.

"I just didn't take you for a central park type." She replied with a shrug. 

"But why are you here?" Wanda ersisted. Darcy wasn't one to avoid answering a question, unless it was very important. "You aren't here alone, surely?"

"I'm here... with Ian." Darcy retorted slowly. "Anyway, just wanted to say hi." She clearly didn't want to talk about it. Wanda let it go.

"Bye."

Vision frowned. "That is very unlike Darcy."

Wanda wanted to say, we don't know her. But it was very unlike the sociable Darcy Lewis who met a _god_ and was just angry about her iPod.

"Ants." Vision said suddenly.

"Ants?" She echoed, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Ants, trying to get at the food." He clarifed.

"That only happens in cartoons." Wanda argued.

"Apparently not." He countered. "You know, picnics aren't very exciting."

"Not in public places like this." Wanda replied absently.

"What?" He demanded, sounding scandalized.

She rolled her eyes. "Get your mind out of the gutter, hon. I mean it's nice when it's quiet."

He sighed and played with her hair, smiling when his wife sighed with contentment. Moments like this were beautiful. They were oblivious to the outside world, finding great joy in these simple times. It was a relief from their stressful jobs; avenging was hard. Wanda didn't notice the sounds of cameras like Vision did, and he supposed it was better not to tell her. It might break her reverie, and she was positively adorable when she was in a daze like this. He realized he was sort of in a daze too, but instead of being lost in thought, he was lost in _her_. 

Wanda had soon fallen asleep, to no one's surprise. Vision continued to just watch her, entirely enraptured with her peaceful beauty.

Except now, it wasn't so peaceful.

She began to breathe heavily and her mouth opened but she said nothing. This was familiar: this was a soundless scream and it meant that she wasn't just scared, she was petrified, so Vision shook her awake gently. She didn't react, not consciously at least. Her hand twitched as if she were reaching for something but it wasn't there. He gingerly took her hand, and she was still once again. Well, not still. She was shaking. Vision squeezed her hand and when she didn't have a reaction, he really began to worry.

"Wanda?" He said. He tested their mental connection; he could relieve her of her nightmares. 

He preferred not to think about what he saw.

The mind stone was gone, and he was lying on the ground. Wanda was crouched over his lifeless body, her expression mirroring the one on her face in the waking world. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream. Her hand was locked with his. 

The worst was her eyes. Her eyes were awash with unbearable pain and Vision realized that he could hear something: one of her thoughts, being repeated over and over again. _It's my fault_.

Vision remembered what he came here to do: make this night terror go away. After a moment of thought, or if he admitted it to himself, hesitanting, he approached her. She didn't see him, but she froze when he put a hand on her shoulder. The dream transformed into the sky full of clouds, like the sky in the waking world. He extracted himself from her dreams, hoping that she'd be alright.

Vision was relieved when he felt her chest rising and falling evenly against his. "Sleep well, love." He murmured, stroking her hair for a moment before carrying her out of the park, back to their car, back home. He ignored the odd looks he received. Before, it might have bothered him, but now Wanda was happy, and that meant he was happy, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not tried a ham sandwich with icing, nor will I ever. I do not suggest it. I made it up and it sounds awful. (Now I'm curious, though.)  
> And I have something planned for the very last chapter, but until then, prompts! For those of you who've given prompts, thank you!


	44. Karaoke, Among Other Things

It started with Tony. 

It was a rainy night and everyone was sitting idly at the compound, not really wanting to go into the rain. Steve made the mistake of asking, "What should we do?"

Tony immediately replied with, "Karaoke." 

Eventually, the others gave in, Wanda last of all. Vision surprised her by agreeing _willingly_. Apparenty, karaoke was something that was on his list and he hadn't experienced yet. She couldn't fathom why he wanted to experience karaoke, especially with people like Clint and Tony.

Stark began. To no one's surprise, he sang Kanye West's No Church in the Wild. He was really an awful singer, and was no doubt a bit drunk. He'd never purposely tarnish his (already awful, in Wanda's opinion) reputation.

" _Human beings in a mob_

_What’s a mob to a king?_

_What’s a king to a god?_

_What’s a god to a non-believer?_

_Who don’t believe in anything?_ "

By the time Stark was finished, Wanda was regretting her decision to leave her apartment. There was a way she could've avoided this. If only she'd known...

"C'mon, Wanda, it's not all that bad." Steve said weakly, not really believing it himself. 

"It really is." She retorted with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not sure you heard him."

"Oh, you didn't hear him?" Clint piped up, having overheard their conversation. "Hey, Tony, Steve didn't-" 

"I will rip out your spine and used it to stab you in the heart." Wanda whispered in Clint's ear, effectively cutting him off. He was trying to look nonchalant, but Wanda didn't miss the fear in his eyes.

"Who's next?" Tony thundered, staring around at the group. Everyone involuntarily shrank back a little.

"I'll go." Natasha declared.

"What are you gonna sing?" Tony honestly looked a little scared.

Natasha pondered this for a moment. "Alphabet Aerobics."

Tony scoffed. "Even I can't do that one."

She cackled. " _Even you_? It's almost like he thinks he's good at this!" Her face was lit up with a beautifully poisonous grin. 

" _Artificial amateurs, aren't at all amazing_

_Analytically, I assault, animate things_

_Broken barriers bounded by the bomb beat_

_Buildings are broken, basically I'm bombarding_

_Casually create catastrophes, casualties-_ "

Needless to say, Natasha did a perfect reendition of it. No one was surprised, but everyone was impressed. What Wanda was most surprised about was the fact that Natasha could remember that whole song. 

Sam, Rhodey and Steve performed Freewill by Rush, Another On Bites the Dust, and Don't Stop Believing, respectively. It was all rather bland, until it was Clint's turn.

" _Wha- wha- what did she say?_

_Mmmm, whatcha say,_

_Mmmm, that you only meant well?_

_Well, of course you did_

_Mmmm, whatcha say,_

_Jason Derulo_

_Mmmm, that it's all for the best?_

_Of course it is._ "

Wanda was intimately familiar with the _mmm whatcha say_ meme. She did have a account on Tumblr, after all. No one really understood why she was laughing so hard, except Clint who of course knew. He was Clint Barton, obviously he knew.

Then, Clint insisted Wanda sing.

Any liking she had for Hawkeye immediately evaporated.

"C'mon, Wanda, go." Natasha encouraged. 

" _You_ 'd say that." Wanda grumbled. "You can do everything perfectly."

"Thank you, now go!"

Wanda ended up singing Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles. To her surprise, almost no one knew the song. Except for Vision, of course.

"I bet you only know it because she makes you listen to it at home." Rhodey pointed out.

Vision nodded sadly. "All the time."

"I feel betrayed, Vizh." Wanda sniffed. "I feel _betrayed_."

"If it's any consolation, it's much better when you sing it." He offered. "You have a beautiful voice, love." 

"Not that good." Tony argued.

Natasha scoffed. "And you wonder why Pepper is the only one on the planet who tolerates you!"

" _You_ tolerate me." Tony protested petulantly.

"No, I acknoledge that you exist." Natasha retorted. "You have no idea how to respect a woman."

"She's right." Wanda agreed with a shrug.

Tony put a hand on his forehead dramatically. "Beaten by an AI!"

Wanda put her hands on her hips. "AI? He's standing right here, you know, and quite frankly, I'm offended. You created him, you should know."

"It's a joke, kid." Tony sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't a funny one." She said coldly. "And call me kid one more time and you'll be locked in a coma until your hair turns gray." She paused. "Wait, too late."

"Tell him, Wanda!" Rhodey cheered. 

"Okay." Steve cut in. "It's Vision's turn for karaoke." The tension in the air was palpable, but Wanda forgot the whole incident when Vision started singing. He had a slightly off-tune voice, but he sang passionately.

" _Cause all of me_

_Loves all of you_

_Love your curves and all your edges_

_All your perfect imperfections_

_Give your all to me_

_I'll give my all to you_

_You're my end and my beginning_

_Even when I lose I'm winning_

_'Cause I give you all of me_

_And you give me all of you._ "

Wanda felt a tear roll down her cheek, and she was sure everyone noticed, but no one mentioned it. They did value their sanity, after all. And partway through the song, Vision took Wanda's hand. She embraced him happily.

At the end, she whispered, "Now I feel bad. I should've done something like that."

He laughed. "There's no need for that, love." He tucked her hair behind her ear affectionately. 

"I love you." She murmured, burying her face in the crook if his neck.

"And I you."

"Um, do you guys want us to leave or something?" Sam interrupted. "You aren't alone in this room." But Wanda barely heard the man. She was concentrated on Vision, locked in her own world. Every part of him was intimately familiar to her: his scent, which vaguely reminded her of burnt toast. The texture of his skin, smooth in some places and ridged in others. Despite him being vibranium, Vision always softened under her touch. His vibrant blue eyes, curious and still innocent after all this time. Wanda's favourite thing about Vision's eyes was when he saw her and his eyes filled with love. 

His hands that were currently exploring her back and pulling her toward him. His lips, always slightly cold. His lips that fit perfectly with hers. The same lips that were now locked with hers, and she relished the chill of his cold lips now. There were voices in the background, but none that captured her attention quite like Vision did. 

It was when Wanda wrapped her legs around Vision's waist that someone dared approach them. "May I remind you," a voice spoke in her ear, "that we were using this room." 

Wanda was about to give whoever was there a piece of her mind, but Vision stopped her.

"Come on, _guys_." Clint whined. "I know we've walked in on you more than anyone ever wanted, but you've never done it while we're in the room." Wanda thought to herself that she'd never let it get that far. Yeah, right. She couldn't stop herself, more like it.

"You know what, I'm putting an end to this." Natasha declared. She tugged on Wanda's hair rather painfully. Wanda, whose legs were still wrapped around her husband, flipped her head upside down and looked at Natasha.

"What?" She demanded irritably.

"You know what." Natasha retorted. "Get a room." Her eyebrow was raised expectantly, arms crossed angrily.

"Ughhh." Wanda groaned, acutely aware of Vision's hands on her back. She had better things to be doing than arguing with these people. "Let's go, darling." She relented.

"You know, there's a closet just down the hall that's vacant." Tony supplied sarcastically. He then added quietly, "Might be the only place in the whole compound you haven't done it." 

"You keep on thinking that." Wanda called over her shoulder.

"Well," she heard Steve sigh, "that was a strange round of karaoke."

"Yeah." Clint agreed. "Zero out of ten. Do not recommend."

* * *

"They're adorable." Clint laughed. He and Natasha had gotten drunk, a mistake as they had to 'wake up' in a few hours.

"Who?" Natasha asked, not nearly as drunk as Clint.

"Wanda. And V-Vision." He replied, smiling.

She scoffed. "Barton, they were practically having sex in front of us."

"Yeah, but look at 'em." He insisted. "They're always... together. So close." He hiccuped. "They're all lovey and have you _seen_ how he looks at her?!"

"Like you look at your wife?" Natasha snapped. She often had no patience with drunk Clint, but right now, he was saying something with actual meaning and she was interested.

"Yeah. I know. I love Laura more than anythin', like, _ever_." He sighed. "But when Vision looks at Wanda, he's- it's like- he looks at 'er like it's the first time he ever saw her." He sighed again. "He looks all amazed."

"That's... very observant of you, Barton." Natasha replied after a long pause. 

"And she looks at 'im like he... like he's the reason the sun shines." 


	45. Sick Day

Wanda awoke to find that not only was her bed cold, but there was no scent of breakfast wafting from the kitchen. "Vizh?" She called worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, love." He replied after a moment, voice sounding rather muffled.

"You are not fine." Wanda declared decidedly. She emerged from their bedroom to see him on the couch with his face buried on a pillow. "What are you doing, hon?" She asked curiously. It was unlike Vision to do something like this wihout reason. Well, it was unlike Vision to do anything illogical, ever.

"I seem to have developed some sort of virus." He replied, uncovering his eyes. 

"Like, a computer virus?" She clarified. It happened now and again, Vision's systems glitching. It was nothing the android couldn't fix.

"Well, I'm not sure." He admitted. And then, he did something that sounded like a cough, but Vision didn't cough, did he? Vision didn't get sick.

"So, you're sick."

"Not sick." He protested. "I just need a few minutes to work this out."

So Wanda made toast while Vision sat on the couch, trying to rid himself of the 'glitch'. Wanda heard a lot of coughing and her toast was not nearly as good a breakfast as it could have been if Vision had made it. "You okay yet?" She asked, sitting beside him.

He shook his head regretfully. "It seems that this will take longer. It doesn't matter, not really. It will do little to hinder my abilities, if anything."

"No." She argued. "You're sick. You aren't going in today, and neither am I."

"I'm not sick!" Vision cried. "I do not get sick!"

Wanda grinned. "You're just in denial, dear." She took his hand and dragged him to the bed. "You're staying here all day." She announced.

"But rest will not improve my condition at all!" He informed her. "There's absolutely no reason for me to be bedridden."

"We'll see about that." She muttered. 

"Let me up, love." He sighed. "We have to go."

"No, we don't."

After a few minutes more of bickering, Wanda's phone rang.

***

"Wanda?" Steve asked. The others were crowded around him. 

"What?" She asked irritably. "We're staying home today."

"No, we're not!" Said Vision in the background. "Put it on speaker, love." Steve did the same. 

"Vision's sick." Wanda explained cheerfully. "So I'm coddling him."

"I am not sick and we are coming in today." Vision huffed, then coughed.

"Well, the little agents are here today, and you're the only one who likes them, so..." Steve said expectantly.

There was a pause. "Still not coming. But tell them I said hi."

"Here they come." Tony muttered. "But wait, he's sick? And coughing?"

" _He_ can hear you, you know." Vision snapped.

"Yeah, he's sick." Steve confirmed. "Vision doesn't get snappy."

Vision coughed. "I'm not getting snappy."

"Did I just hear the Vision coughing?" Simmons gasped. "How?"

"Hi, Jemma." Wanda greeted her friend tonelessly. "He's sick and you can't see how because we're staying home."

Jemma sighed. "Fine."

"We are coming in!" Vision cried, then hung up.

Steve frowned. "So, they're coming in."

"Obviously not." Tony snorted. "When was the last time you were in a relationship? Right, seventy five years ago."

"What do you mean, obviously not?" Steve cried frustratedly.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Just give up, old man."

***

"So, what do you want to watch?" Wanda asked, snuggling with her husband.

He sighed. "Didn't we start watching Brooklyn Nine Nine?"

"Yes." She replied, going through Netflix. "We also started Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother, though."

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Still Brooklyn Nine Nine."

"Alright."

So they marathoned nine episodes of Brooklyn Nine Nine before Vision huffed and muttered, "Can I get out of bed now?"

"Great idea, darling! Soup!" Wanda replied, smirking at him. He rolled his eyes but stayed where he was, stretching out now that Wanda was gone. He really didn't feel that good. It was unpleasant. How did humans deal with this so often? And with all of their technology, hadn't even developed a cure for the cold?

He was rather cold, and even his ability to regulate his body heat couldn't help. Perhaps this soup might help him. He didn't like being cold. He hadn't been cold when Wanda was pressed up beside him. He was beginning to thank his wife for making them stay home. 

Suddenly, he realized something. "Wanda, love, you can't make soup." Wanda couldn't make anything. He rarely let her touch the oven.

"I'm making it from a can, relax." She retorted, but Vision could definitely smelll a burning scent. Or perhaps his sense of smell was affected, too.

Wanda returned with two bowls of soup. It was actually not bad, considering her skills in the kitchen. Nothing was burned, but he wasn't sure if it was possible to burn soup. If it was, Wanda would someday, inevitably, end up doing it.

"You're cold." She realized after a few moments. "You actually can't warm up." He nodded, slightly ashamed of admitting it. He was no longer ashamed when she set down her soup and cuddled him. 

"You know, this is different." He realized after a long period of silence.

She blinked. "What, that the invincible Vision has caught the common cold?"

"No, that you're the one doing everything for me." He replied.

"Don't make me feel guilty." She huffed, sticking her tongue out.

"No, I mean, you're the one being all... worried." He struggled to explain it.

"I got it." She replied understandingly.

"I'm surprised you didn't burn the soup."

"Can you burn soup?"

" _You_ can."

***

"Noooo." Vision groaned when Wanda got up. "I'm cold."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sickness has changed you. Anyway, I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll only be a minute."

Vision and Wanda were buried in a nest of blankets, and she was like a heater to him. Is this how she felt during winter when he could make himself warmer?

"Miss me?" Wanda asked, reentering the room. She crawled into their mountain of blankets once again, shivering at the shock of Vision's cold body.

"Every second." He replied.

"Is it because I'm your personal heater?"

"Partly."

And they lapsed into silence. Wanda wasn't sure how long they sat there, absorbed in each other. Then, there was a knock at the door. Not wanting to get up, she shouted loudly, "WHAT?"

The door opened, meaning it was one of her friends. Somehow, someone had acquired a spare key and she wasn't sure who was in possession of it now. Well, she'd never be able to tell because six people barged into their apartment.

"You know, I haven't been here yet." Tony said thoughtfully as he entered their room. "It's nice. And small."

"Mmm." She mumbled, glancing over at the group. "What are you all doing here?"

"We wanted to see Vision sick." Clint replied. Natasha elbowed him.

"I wanted to study Vision sick." Jemma said. Skye elbowed her.

"We wanted to make sure he was okay." Steve glanced at his friends with raised eyebrows. "Right?"

"Right." They echoed.

"And you two seem to be just fine." Clint chuckled.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Barton." Wanda muttered. "We haven't done anything."

"I will choose not to believe that." He replied. 

"Go away." She murmured. "We were having a nice time until you oafs barged in."

Natasha frowned. "I feel so appreciated."

"I am alright." Vision reassured his friends. "Is that all you wanted?"

Tony scoffed. "Well, I wanted to see how this is happening-"

"Not your field, Stark." Jemma interrupted, too excited to apologize. "I-"

"C'mon, Jem, they want us to go." Skye tugged on her girlfriend's arm. When the two agents left, the others followed suit.

"That wasn't very pleasant." Wanda sighed. "At least they left."

"Well, they care." Vision shrugged, glancing at her.

"Maybe a little too much and for not the right reasons, but they care." Wanda agreed. Suddenly, Vision stood up. "What are you doing?" Wanda demanded, but Vision just took her hand and clicked a button on his phone. A song came on- one Wanda knew well: Piano Man by Billy Joel. 

Soon, they were dancing in their socks. Yes, Vision was wearing socks.

The door opened. "I forgot my phone." Natasha explained, then she saw them. It was amazing to the assassin. Wanda in her pajamas dancing with Vision to Piano Man, both in socks, faces alight with laughter and giggles. Vision caught Wanda when she slipped, and when Vision slipped, she tried to catch him, but was laughing too hard so they both collapsed onto the ground in a fit of laughter. Natasha snapped a picture, unbeknownst to the two.

Later, Natasha would show them the picture. They framed it on their wall.


	46. The Romanoff-Hill Wedding

"I don't like public speaking." Wanda said nervously. As Natasha's maid of honour, she knew she should make a speech. Now that the wedding was beginning, she was nervous.

"You'll be alright, love." Vision encouraged. Wanda hadn't been there for most of the planning, so both she and Vision were surprised when they found that where they were sitting it said 'Wanda Maximoff' and beside it 'Vision Maximoff'. "I like it." Vision said, kissing Wanda on the cheek.

"I see you've found it." Someone said. Wanda turned around to see Maria, dressed not in a wedding gown, but rather a white suit. That was about right. You could barely wrestle Natasha into a wedding dress, but Maria was about ten times worse.

"I must ask, why green?" Wanda asked. The bridesmaid dresses were green. About half the room was greem, too. Maria looked away sheepishly, which was very uncharacteristic.

"I chose it because of Natasha's eyes."

"That's adorable." Wanda replied, grinning.

"She wanted red, but your wedding was red, too, so..." Maria trailed off. She was smiling, and Wanda didn't think that the grin would leave her face the entire wedding.

"You haven't told her why you chose green, have you." Wanda guessed. There was no other reason that Natasha would be opposed to this; when it came to Maria, Natasha was very sentimental to everyone's surprise.

"I haven't." The bride replied with a gusty sigh.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "She'll love it, Maria!"

"Yeah, but I usually don't do sentimental things." Maria argued.

"And you have a reputation to uphold?" Wanda snorted, taking Vision's hand. "Look, it was you who did 'Vision Maximoff' isn't it? What's that if not sentimental?"

Maria now had a satisfied smirk on her face. "So he didn't tell you."

"What?"

"Maria-"

"He writes Vision Maximoff on all of his paperwork." 

Wanda thought for a moment, then hugged her husband. "I love you, darling." She murmured. When she turned around, Maria was walking away. She glanced back at the couple with a smirk. Wanda flipped her off affectionately. Maria stuck out her tongue in return.

"Look." Vision said, gesturing towards Steve. "It's the best man."

Natasha had insisted on having a maid of honour and a best man _and_ no one could convince her otherwise. Some had thought that Steve would turn the offer down, keeping to his traditional values, but Steve had accepted and reminded those who doubted him that his ma brought him up with values that were anything but 'traditional'. Where did they think he got his sense of justice from?

Steve was conversing jovially with Sam and Natasha. "They're talking about Natasha's dress." Vision observed. "And Maria's, and I quote, 'unorthodox, but in a good way,' outfit."

Wanda laughed. "Let's not bug them. Oh, look, there's Laura and the kids!"

***

"-In conclusion, as well as being the Queen of Badassery, Natasha Romanoff-Hill is a wonderful person, though she may lead you to believe otherwise." There was a few titters from the audience, and before anyone else could speak, Wanda added, "I was going to end my speech there, but then Maria told me that she hadn't told Natasha why she chose green."

"Wanda..." Maria muttered, glaring at her friend.

"Do go on." Natasha purred, smirking at her wife.

"It's because Natasha's eyes are green." Wanda finished, sitting down. There were a few 'awww's from people who didn't know better than to 'aww' at Maria and Natasha Romanoff- no, Romanoff-Hill.

"Thank you, Wanda." Natasha thanked her, eyeing Maria with a look that was halfway between love and bedroom eyes.

As the chatting grew louder, Vsion grinned at her. "You know, Maria just might kill you for revealing that in front of everyone."

"I might kill her for not telling Natasha." Wanda replied nonchalantly, twisting the ring on her finger. "Never mind, I couldn't kill Maria Hill. It's impossible."

"Are you saying she's immortal?" Vision chuckled, then frowned. "Anyway..."

Something about the sentence 'Are you saying she's immortal?' had bothered Vision. Wanda didn't notice his brief discomfort, though, because she was busy having her own brief moment of discomfort. Vision noticed, because Vision noticed everything. If Wanda wasn't feeling happy, then his own conflict was irrelevant. "Are you alright, love?" 

She blinked. "Just... thinking. Do you think that..." she trailed off. "My speech?"

Vision knew what she meant. She didn't like public speaking. "It was perfect, love. You did fine." 

And the smile that overcame her face was enough to make him forget about his problem. For a while, at least. 

***

"The food is delicious." Wanda said to Vision, who was eating even if it was unnecessary. "It reminds me of home." She confessed after a moment of silence. Of course, Natasha's Russian dishes would be similar to Wanda's Sokovian ones. 

"Is that good?" He inquired.

Wanda shrugged. "I don't know." She muttered, subdued.

Visoon yearned to comfort her, but the words wouldn't come. What does one say when someone's homesick? He sighed and abandoned his food, putting his arm around her. "Are you alright?" He whispered so no one else was alerted to Wanda's situation.

"Just, just, give me a minute." She mumbled. Sokovia was a sore spot for Wanda; her home country that she loved so much, a place she'd vowed never to return to. She had herself convinced that if she went home, all she would bring was pain.

He kissed her on the cheek. "Alright."

After a few minutes of silent sadness, she informed him, "I'm fine now. It's still hard, even now." Her voice hardened with resolve. "I am fine now." Vision wasn't sure who Wanda was convincing.

Soon, people were dancing again. It was a slow song. "Come on, love." Vision encouraged her, taking her hand. She finally relented, warning him, 

"I can't dance, hon, so watch out."

"I've danced with you plenty of times." He argued, placing his hands gently on her waist. "And this isn't any kind of real dancing, just sort of swaying back and forth."

"I guarantee you I will screw it up." Wanda said seriously, putting her hands uncertainly on her husband's shoulders.

"Then let me help you." Vision offered, and before Wanda could ask what he was doing, his hands abruptly tightened around her waist and listed her only a few inches off the ground. She clung onto him, the green silk of her dress smooth against the fabric of his suit that he'd insisted upon wearing.

"Do this all the time." Wanda suggested, whispering in his ear. It was the only thing she could really do with their closeness. "So I can get out of dancing at all those functions Pepper makes us go to."

"I can't promise that, love." Vision replied, smiling. 

After a few minutes, the song was over and Vision even carried her back to their seats. Wanda was not opposed to this at _all_. "You're a good dancer." Wanda said after a moment. He really had to be if he danced while holding her up.

"You are too." He replied, then grinned mischievously. "When I'm helping you, you are, at least."

"Hey!" She elbowed him lightly, barely enough for him to feel it.

"You know, love, you can elbow me as hard as you want. It's bone against vibranium. It will hurt no more than a gentle nudge." He reminded her. 

She frowned. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I want to cause you discomfort. Would you elbow me?"

"It's not the same." He anwered breezily.

"It is!" She protested, then sighed. "Anyway, look. There's more food."

***

"I feel twenty again!" Wanda whispered as they danced, slightly tipsy.

Vision rolled his eyes. "Wanda, may I remind you that you are twenty one years old?"

She sighed. "Almost twenty two, dear." She giggled. "And you aren't even four years old yet."

Wanda was right; he hadn't been alive for more than four years. He felt, though, that he'd accomplished more than any other four year old on the planet. Any other four year old certainly hadn't saved the wolrd on multiple occasions, with his wife beside him. 

Forget four- Vision, even through all the strife that accompanied beng an avengers, thought himself (how cliche) the luckiest man alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still open to prompts guys  
> I have the first chapter of the sequel pretty much done, so now I just have to finish this, then you get something that is not _just fluff_. yay.
> 
> also I found out that in some of the comics Vision called Wanda 'Curlytop' but her hair isnt curly here so I can't use that and its really upsetting


	47. You Were Supposed to Build Pepper a Farm

Wanda chewed on her bottom lip, lost in the book she was reading: _The Giver_. She'd read it a hundred times already and hated the ending almost as much as she hated Tony Stark, but it was _so good_.

Then, Iron Man himself deigned to speak with her. Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. 

"What do you want?" She asked, not looking up from _The Giver_.

"I have something to show you." He replied confidentally.

She snorted. She didn't look away from the book, but wasn't reading it anymore. "I better not look up to see you in your birthday suit. Going to jail for first-degree murder isn't on the top of my to-do list, Stark."

He huffed indignantly. "Just come on, Wanda. It's for you and Terminator."

"Me and Vision?" She said, looking up. Much to her relief, Tony was fully clothed, and wearing an almost bashful smile. Tony? Bashful? The only honest sentence that could ever have both of those words is _Tony is_ never _bashful_. 

"Come on, Sabrina."  He beckoned to her. She followed cautiously. Stark was probably talking about an invention, and any invention Tony had the inkling to show Wanda and Vision was probably very, very strange.

"Okay, Inspector Gadget." She retorted. "What do you want to show me, anyway?" 

He thought for a moment. "It's a surprise."

So Wanda followed silently. She crossed her arms when Stark led her outside to see a car. "A car?" She wondered. "Is this was the great Tony Stark deigned to show me?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

He shook his head. "No, we've gotta drive to get to it. Vision's on his way." And just then, Vision emerged from the facility, followed by Natasha. 

"Did he tell you what they're dragging us off to see?" Vision whispered as Tony and Natasha climbed into the car. She shook her head as she got into the back seat, soon followed by Vision.

"Where are we going?" Wanda asked, knowing she wasn't going to get a proper answer. 

"I told you already, it's a surprise." Tony retorted. Wanda began to wonder why they were in a jeep. Surely they weren't driving anywhere that required the off-road features of a jeep? When they started on a dirt road, Wanda realized that Tony wouldn't want his precious cars ruined, even though he had copious amounts of them.

The ride was silent and long. Well, not that long, but Wanda was very impatient. It was only about a half hour in the jeep before they parked at the end of a very long drive way. On either side there were trees as far as the eye could see.

"Where are we, Stark?" Wanda demanded, getting more agitated with every second. A (not very) long drive and she still couldn't know where they were going. She was tempted to fly down the driveway and see what big secret was waiting at the end, but clearly Natasha and Tony thought that it was worth the wait, if the grins on their faces meant anything.

"Just walk." Tony retorted. Wanda and Vision walked a few feet behind the two, but stopped once she saw just what exactly Tony Stark wanted to show her. She was aghast.

"Weren't you supposed to build _Pepper_ a farm?" She asked weakly.

Before them stood a large, Victorian-era house. It was beautiful, Wanda had no trouble admitting it. It was painted a dark burgundy with dark green trim and had a large veranda. 

"You haven't even seen the inside!" Tony all but shouted, grabbing her wrist in his excitement. She didn't even object, just ran after him, too awed to care.

While the exterior of the house was old-looking and antique looking, the interior was anything but. All of the technology in this house was Stark tech, so to say, top of the line. Dark hardwood floors complimented the modern feel. The only thing not new looking on the first floor was the brick fireplace.

Stark was practically boucing with excitement when he cried, "Let's go upstairs!" 

The master bedroom was first, and it was heaven. A kig-sized bed dominated the room, topped with a white fluffy duvet. Pictures hung all over the walls. That was Wanda's favourite part. Pictures of their wedding, pictures of the team, pictures of everything. Stark had even got a copy of the picture Natasha took when she caught Wanda and Vision dancing in their socks to Piano Man.

There was a walk in closet and a giant bathroom. Two other rooms were upstairs: a simple guest bedroom, and one empty room.

"What's this?" Wanda asked, confused. The walls were painted a dark red, like the rest of the house, but other than that, this room seemed to be left untouched.

Stark gulped. Was he nervous? Nervous and bashful both in one day? Wanda felt the need to write this down.

"Just tell them, Stark." Natasha snapped. Her harsh voice contradicted her smiling face. 

"Thisroomisincaseyoutwoeverhavekids." Tony blurted out.

Wanda froze. Whatever she was expecting, it definitely wasn't that. "Wow." She muttered after a while. "While I'm touched by your sentiments, you know that's not possible."

Tony shook his head. At Wanda's surprised look, he said, "I don't know how it will happen, but I think that it's possible."

Wanda took Vision's hand, lost in thought. What if motherhood _was_ possible for her? What if she and Vision could conceive a child? The thought filled her with a sense of joy, but at the same time a sense of nameless dread. If children were possible for her and Vision, their occupation as Avengers would get in the way all the time. "Thank you, Tony." She whispered, voice choked up with emotion.

"He's had this ready for a while." Natasha chimed in. 

" _What?_ " Vision asked. "Why haven't you shown us?"

"Well, I was waiting for the right time." Tony replied with a frown.

"He wouldn't have told you even now if I hadn't heard him talking about it with Pepper." Natasha explained. 

Wanda shrugged. "It's- I love it." To everyone's surprise, including her own, she hugged Stark.

"Well, this is unexpected." Tony said absently. 

"Don't expect it ever again." Wanda muttered when she let go of him, now leaning on Vision.

"While we'd love to stay with you, it's best we leave these two lovebirds to it, Stark." Natasha said, pulling Tony away. 

"How will we get back?" Wanda asked distractedly. She had a house. A real, giant house that had its own kitchen and bathroom and three whole bedrooms! She and Vision had their own house!

"Tomorrow someone will get a car here," Tony explained, "but somehow I don't think you'll ever want to go back."

And then they were gone. 

"Vision, darling, we have our own house!" She cried, taking his hands. She pulled him down the stairs, literally floating.

"We have a house!" He echoed, grinning. "And... and we can start a family!"

She nodded. "Somehow."

"Hey, we have space now." Vision realized.

"For what, exactly?" Wanda replied, still looking around in wonder.

He frowned. "Did I never mention that I play piano?"

She gasped. "Vision! It's been four years and you tell me now?"

"It's not like you ever asked." He said with a shrug.

"What's that?" She muttered, inspecting something that looked like a camera from a distance. Upon closer investigation, she realized it was a speaker. On the side was written Bluetooth. A Bluetooth speaker. She quickly took out her phone and put on a random song, and sure enough, it played on the speakers with an impressive quality. Stark knew her better than she realized.

After a moment, she realized the song was You Better You Bet by The Who. She loved this song. "Dance with me, Vizh!" She cried, jumping into his conveniently open arms.

He smiled. "I haven't had this much fun in... about three weeks." He realized, grinning even wider.

She raised her eyebrows. "What happened three weeks ago?"

He laughed. "I stayed in bed all day, then danced around with you in my socks."

"We should dance more often." She said. The song changed to Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin. Vision stepped away from her.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" He asked, holding out his hand courteously.

"Of course." She answered seriously. They danced slowly at first, but then faster as the song sped up. She giggled when Vision swept her off of her feet, quite literally.

"It appears," he said, "that I've swept you off your feet."

"It appears so." She said, pecking him on the cheek. There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" She shouted, because who knew about this place other than the Avengers?

"Why is there Led Zeppelin blaring?" Tony demanded. "I came back to tell you about the speakers and now you're playing music so loud you'll break them!"

"They won't break." Wanda protested.

"You're right, they're Stark technology. Well, sorry to interrupt... whatever this is." Stark said, backing away. "

Goodbye, Stark." Wanda cried. She sighed. "Vision, we have a house. A huge goddamn Victorian Era house." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> house loosely based off this one  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/82/c1/01/82c10103e050f21628cb6f19abd2a75f.jpg


	48. Auld Lang Syne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off this tumblr post  
> http://thatravenclawfinn.tumblr.com/post/126021794494/startrekrenegades-knitmeapony-darktome-look

"So, when are we going to be able to see your new house?" Darcy asked. Darcy and Jane had finally made the decision to move permanently into the compound, and now Darcy had found out about the house.

"Yeah, Wanda." Steve joined in. _Everyone_ had been curious about the house.

"Leave me alone." Wanda muttered, sticking out her tongue. "It's my house."

"Come on, Wanda." Even Sam joined in. "We went to your apartment plenty of times."

"I don't see why we shouldn't." Darcy pointed out.

"Privacy." Vision argued. 

"They're coming to your house." Tony, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere, declared. "I'm throwing a housewarming party."

"It is... not your house." Wanda said doubtfully.

"Yes, but I built it for you." He replied. "So I'm having a housewarming party."

***

A housewarming party turned into the avengers (plus Darcy and Jane) staying at the new house for a night. 

"I hope you like sleeping on the floor." Wanda told Sam when the guest room and couches were full.

"I'm not the only one sleeping on the floor." He pointed out.

"You're the only one complaining, Sam." Vision replied drily before he and Wanda hurried back to their bedroom, away from the six people who had inexplicably decided that courtesy was for losers.

"I think that we will have more fun one day when they come her with our permission." Wanda sighed. Vision nodded, waiting idly while she got her pajamas. When she climbed under the covers, she yawned. "Come on, Vizh." She beckoned to him, eyes glazed with tiredness. He grinned and followed her, chuckling a little when she insisted upon using his arm as a pillow.

She soon fell asleep. Vision sighed contentedly. This was a good life, his life. He drifted into a reverie, only fully alert when he heard a little screech from downstairs, along with the telltale first notes of Auld Lang Syne. Wanda had been so excited when she found one she could make the microwave play it.

He carefully detached himself from Wanda, even though she would wake up in a few seconds anyway, being such a light sleeper. He flew down the stairs, trying not to wake anyone who might still be sleeping, to find Darcy standing before the microwave with a frightened expression.

"What is that?" She demanded, gesturing vaguely toward the microwave.

He crossed his arms. "That," he explained, "is Auld Lang Syne, a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788."

"But why does it play on the microwave?" She hissed as the tune finally stopped playing.

Vision shrugged. "Wanda liked it. She doesn't usually microwave things in the middle of the night. And besides, until tonight, there was no one to wake up." By now, Jane, Natasha, Sam, Tony, and Rhodey had all awoken and gathered around them, soon followed by Wanda. Steve remained blissfully unaware.

"Your microwave plays Auld Lang Syne?" Natasha mused. 

"Cool." Sam commented. "But it woke us all up. Thanks, Darcy."

Darcy huffed. "Like you've never had pizza cravings at midnight."

"We don't have pizza." Wanda realized. "So what were you microwaving?"

"There was pasta in the fridge." She said. "And it looked lonely."

"Darcy!" Jane scolded. "You don't just take other people's food."

She gawked. "Jane, I've done it plenty of times before and no one noticed."

"Not in their house!" Jane cried.

"Well, I'm going back to sleep." Wanda announced. "Don't microwave anything else." Vision followed her, leaving Darcy to eat the pasta and everyone else to go back to sleep.

***

The next morning, Vision went downstairs to make pancakes as he did every morning for Wanda. Then he realized that he had seven other people to cook for.

"Morning." Wanda greeted him tiredly. He stopped for a moment to peck her on the lips. 

"Are you romantic all the time?" Sam demanded, yawning. Wanda sighed and sat at the table. Sam followed suit. There were only two chairs at the table, though. When Sam stood up for a moment, Jane, the next one up, took the chair.

"Hey!" Sam cried. Jane shrugged and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Soon, Vision was finished and Wanda ate quickly because Darcy wasn't up yet and she wasn't ready to experience what that girl was like in the mornings. She went upstairs and got ready, and when she returned, all seven of them were in various places in the kitchen. Jane and Tony ate at the table while Darcy sat on the floor leaning back on Jane's skinny legs.

Natasha was perched comfortably on the counter while Rhodey and Sam sat on the floor. Steve was standing up and looking around confusedly.

"What, Steve?" She asked. 

"I- nothing." He replied. Vision realized what was wrong. 

"I failed to take into account Steve's large appetite." Vision muttered. "There are some in the fridge. Put them in the microwave."

The microwave. Wanda suddenly remembered last night's fiasco and how Steve was the only one who wasn't awake for it. While everyone else was engrossed in the food, Steve waited. The microwave counted down. Three, two, one-

"What is that?"

Darcy grinned. "Old Long Sign."

"Auld Lang Syne." Natasha corrected her.

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

***

Later, when everyone had finally left, Wanda recalled when she first had the microwave do it. It was a good memory.

***

Vision was out and Wanda was fiddling around with the kitchen. She clicked something on the microwave, and then Auld Lang Syne began to play. She laughed, but soon forgot about the strange feature. Until a few nights later.

Vision decided that he could not make anything new, not when their fridge was chock full of leftovers. He, completely unaware of Wanda had done to the microwave, put pancakes in the microwave. When Auld Lang Syne began playing, he jumped, almost tripping (the Vision, tripping. Can you imagine?) over the chair beind him, making enough noise to wake Wanda up. She stumbled down the stairs as the last notes played.

"Why does the microwave play Auld Lang Syne, love?" He asked, frowning. 

"I don't know. I clicked something and it started doing that." She replied, laughing. 

"It scared me!" He cried, putting his arm around her waist. She sighed. 

"I didn't know a microwave could scare you, darling." 

"I didn't know microwaves could play Scots poems."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see I can't cook anything like i can't even make kraft dinner so thats why the only breakfast food you see is pancakes that is my cooking genius


	49. Anniversary

"It's been two years, darling." Wanda whispered to Vision. He nodded.

"Two of the best years of my life." He said, grinning.

"Two out of four years." She pointed out, pecking him on the cheek.

"I've been married to you for half of my life." He realized. "Two out of four years or not."

"I've been married to you for one eleventh of my life." She replied. "It's the best eleventh yet." Wanda felt a little guilty, but pushed it down. Today was a day for happiness.

***

"We have a gift for you." Steve announced. Natasha appeared beside him, holding a gift.

"Steve." Natasha muttered, elbowing him. "Happy anniversary, children." 

"Children?" Wanda echoed, frowning.

"You're four," Natasha reminded Vision, "and you're twenty two." She smirked. "So, you like older women, Vizh? Bit of an age gap there."

"Wom _en_?" He crossed his arms. "As in plural? I hate to think there's another one I'm unaware of." He said drily.

"I hope there isn't." Wanda cut in good-naturedly.

Vision put his arm around her. "You were my first love and you'll be my last, darling." He pressed a lingering kiss on her lips.

"C'mon, idiots." Natasha summoned them. "The common room. Now."

In the common room, everyone was waiting. Even Darcy, Jane, Pepper, and the trio of Coulson's agents. 

"Happy anniversary!" They all shouted, smiling.

"Golly gee, thanks." Wanda muttered, chewing on her bottom lip. "Really, guys. Thank you."

"Thank you." Vision echoed, staring around.

"You haven't even seen the gifts yet!" Darcy cried. "What are you thanking us for?"

Vision laughed. "Everyone's gathered here and... we were surprised."

"It's a pleasant surprise." Wanda added, intertwining her hand with his.

"Okay," Pepper said, "there's a gift from all of us we want you to see first."

Wanda felt overwhelmed. She never celebrated her birthday. She never received gifts, not like this. Never had parties, just attended them. She felt a tear in her eye. Natasha held out the gift she'd been holding. Wanda and Vision opened it together.

"Is this," Wanda asked without looking up, "a photo album?" Okay, a photo album would be nice and all, but they had tons of pictures in their house already.

"Sort of." Natasha said.

"Kind of." Sam muttered.

"Open it." Darcy urged.

Wanda opened it. The first page just had their names on it in an elegant, loopy font. She flipped the page to find that the next page was stiff with glue. It took a few moments for it to register.

"Do you like it?" Tony demanded. 

"Wait." She murmured. It was a magazine article, one of the ones she hated, on her and Vision. Dated from nearly four years ago. _Scarlet Witch and The Vision: Are They Dating?_ Underneath it was a picture of the two walking together. There was a mindless article written under the photo, but that wasn't important.

Vision gently turned the page, and as they leafed through the book, it wasn't just pictures, it was magazine articles, grainy pictures taken from news footage. There was a napkin from their wedding, their name cards from Maria and Natasha's wedding, pictures drawn of them by Clint's children. The ones drawn by the children were messy. Tucked between the pages were also a few drawings done by Steve, which were realistic and beautiful and heartwarming.

"Wow." Vision muttered sarcastically when they came across one of the many articles written about the time they were walked in on at one of Tony's fancy shmancy science parties.

"Yeah, thanks for including this one." Wanda huffed.

When they finished, Wanda sighed. "Thank you." She said.

"Thank you." Vision echoed, smiling.

"I was not expecting this." Wanda murmured, and she realized with a start that she was crying. "Ugh. Now look what you've done." She grumbled. Vision wiped away the tears.

"We'll... leave you two." Sam announced. Soon, they were alone. 

"I met you four years ago." Wanda stated. "I didn't think this would be happening four years ago."

"I hoped it would." Vision replied, embracing her.

She grinned. "You were thinking about our future, four years ago?"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know about this specifically. Four years ago, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She said, and she meant it. "I can't imagine life without you."

He shivered, which was very unusual. "Hopefully, it will never happen."

They lapsed into a peaceful silence. Vision sat on the couch and pulled Wanda into his lap. She leaned against his chest. It was nice.

"You're so beautiful." He murmured, breaking the silence. 

"So are you." She retorted.

"You say that." He said airily. Then, with much more zeal, he said, "But you, you outshine the sun, my love. You are the moon in a sky full of tiny, far off stars." 

"You are beautiful, darling. You deny it, but it is true. You are a specimen." She couldn't fight off a smile. "Four years."

"Four years, my love. And I hope there will be many more."


	50. Don't Speak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Um. Last chapter, guys. I'm kinda sad. Very sad. I love writing this story, and I can't thank you enough for all of your kudos and comments and bookmarks. I'm so grateful that anyone has taken the time to read. 
> 
> I have no idea why any of you would stick around for fifty chapters of fluff- I had fun writing it, sure, but I often think I should add some sort of plot. Nevertheless, it's been a wild ride, but I'm noy saying goodbye, not really. Not when there's a sequel that'll be up within the hour!
> 
> (Also I realized that I have another chapter titled Don't Speak but whatever ok)

Vision, over the past few weeks, had been having a small internal crisis, and now it was beginning to impact his life.

Wanda, of course, noticed immediately that something was up. "What's wrong, Vizh?" She asked, taking his hand. 

"Nothing." He replied hastily. "I'm alright."

"If you say so." She said, sounding skeptical. 

Later, Vision was distracted during training. They were training with a simulation with droids, and too many got past him. "Vison, what's wrong?" Steve demanded with narrowed eyes.

He sighed. "Nothing. I'm fine." That earned five suspicious stares from his colleagues. 

After training, Steve approached him. "I know something's up, Vision. You're not fine. But whatever it is, you need to talk it out with someone if it's interfering with your abilities."

Vision nodded. "Okay, Captain."

But Vision did not want to talk about it with anyone, because that would make it seem so real. Anyway, he wasn't sure that there was anything that could make him feel better. His problem was a huge one.

Finally, when he and Wanda returned home, she glared at him. "Something's been bugging you and you aren't moving until you tell me what it is." Vision could move away from her, run away from his problems for a little longer, but Wanda would be angry with him. He didn't want Wanda to be upset.

"Alright. Let's... let's sit down." He let himself be guided by her, almost numbly. 

"So, what's wrong?" She asked softly. Wanda seemed to sense that it was something sad. "I'm sorry for being cross with you, but if something's hurting you, I want to know. I want to help you."

He smiled sadly. "It's, well... it's me." He paused, searching for the right words. "I'm... an android." At her narrowed eyes, he allowed, "I have an android body, at least. It doesn't decay, not like a human's. And because of that, I do not know how long my life will be." His hands were shaking. "I... I will outlive all of my friends. Worst of all, I will outlive you. And I do not know if I can survive that." He, to his and Wanda's surprise, felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"Oh, Vision..." Wanda sighed. She kissed his cheek where the tear fell. He bit his lip, but still more tears fell. 

"I... I do not cry." His voice cracked.

"Yes, you do. All humans cry." She whispered, looking up at him. "And you can live on, my love, you can. Because you are strong. I know you can survive it."

He closed his eyes. "But... but what if I do not want to? What I wouldn't give for the chance to die at your side, take my last breath with yours." He laughed bitterly. "But I do not get that chance. I have an obligation to protect this world. But Wanda, once you are gone, how can I save other lives if I despise my own?" He noticed that now Wanda was crying, too. "Don't be upset, darling. I don't mean to carry the weight of my problems."

"You aren't, Vizh." She replied. "But... I don't want you to be sad. At the same time, I don't know how to comfort you."

He put his head in his hands. "I am so selfish, Wanda. There are so many other things, so many things that are much more important than I, and I think that I deserve to be upset."

"No, no. You have every right to be upset, Vizh. You face a problem unique from those anyone has ever experienced." She assured him.

"Unique, like me. I am alone, Wanda."

"You have me. You will always have me. Even after I am gone, I will be in your heart." Wanda embraced him, not knowing how to comfort him but wanting to with all her heart.

"I love you." He murmured.

"And I you." She replied. "But you must promise me that you will not think about this. For now, at least. I am planning on living a very long life, for you if not anyone else. I won't leave you." He smiled at that, then she added, "I am so glad you saved me, four years ago, with Ultron... it was hard at first, and I wished you hadn't, but I'm happy now. I am happy that you saved me."

He tried to speak, but his voice was very uneven.

"Shh." She murmured. _Don't speak_. 

_I... I have done nothing to deserve you, my love._ He buried his face in the crook of her neck. _You are too good to me._

_You have done everything to deserve me. Like, save the world too many times to count. You've saved me._ She ran her fingers over his familiar textured skin, soothing him.

_I... do you think that I can do it? When you are gone... can I?_

She smiled. _Of course you can, my darling. Because I know you, and I know you can survive._

He frowned uncertainly. _Wanda... do you want me to stay with you all that time?_

_Of course, you idiot! I love you with everything I have, and I'm not about to let you go._

_I love you._

_Are you all right?_

_No, but that is to be expected._

_Oh, Vision. You sound... despondent. I assure you, even though I may not live as long as you, I will stay with you for as long as my heart is beating, for it is you that makes my heart beat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here is the sequel!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4311132/chapters/9772563%0A)


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